The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) held a meeting on Monday headed by military chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

A source told the Middle East News Agency (MENA) the meeting discussed recent security issues in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula as well as calls for El-Sisi to run for president.

Tens of thousands took the streets on Saturday, marking the third anniversary of the 25 January revolution, with many calling for El-Sisi to nominate himself for the presidency.

On Sunday, four soldiers died and 13 were injured when militants attacked their bus in Sinai. A wave of attacks have targeted security forces since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

On Monday, Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour issued a presidential decree promoting El-Sisi, the army chief and minister of defence, to the rank of Field Marshal.

Until his appointment as minister of defence by Morsi in August 2012, El-Sisi had been serving as head of military intelligence since 2010.

His popularity soared after 3 July 2013, when he announced the ouster of Morsi amid nationwide mass protests against the Islamist president's troubled one-year rule.