Those facilities, by Sunday, were controlled by Army units, said Gen. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, a spokesman for the Armed Forces. The troops also secured the power and water facilities in the city, he said.

Clashes for third straight day in Egyptian capital

In Egypt's capital of Cairo, meanwhile, clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces continued for a third day on Sunday.

Police and soldiers used tear gas to quell a sometimes violent demonstration near Cairo's Tahrir Square -- the symbolic center of Egypt's revolution. Demonstrators threw rocks and burned tires and boxes, according to the state-run al-Ahram newspaper.

Police closed all the main roads and highways near Tahrir Square, and vehicles were not allowed to stop or wait near the square, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported.

Citing the unrest in the vicinity of Tahrir Square, the U.S. Embassy closed its offices on Sunday, according to its website. The British Embassy in Cairo also closed for the day.

The National Salvation Front, one of Egypt's main opposition groups, on Sunday called for "peaceful protests" and held "the president responsible for the excessive violence used by security forces against protesters," according to a statement posted on the state-run Al-Ahram news website.

The group made several demands before it would urge people to stop protesting, including the formation of a new government and making changes to what they called the "distorted constitution" that voters passed, in a referendum, last month.

"The NSF has decided not to run in the parliamentary elections unless a comprehensive solution similar to that suggested is reached," the group said.