A protester throws tear gas back at Egyptian riot police, unseen, during clashes outside the Syrian embassy in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, July 18, 2012. Egyptian security forces have fired tear gas to push back several hundred protesters trying to storm the Syrian Embassy in Cairo and raise the green-striped flag of Syria's rebels.(AP Photo/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian security forces have fired tear gas to push back several hundred protesters trying to storm the Syrian Embassy in Cairo and raise the green-striped flag of Syria's rebels.

A security official says that 14 people were detained. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Cairo is home to a large community of Syrian opposition figures, who have set up a tent in Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt's own protest movement.

In January, activists protested outside the Syrian Embassy and stormed it, tearing down the Syrian flag and pulling President Bashar Assad's picture down, then stomping on it.

In another incident this year, protesters set fire to part of the embassy.

Wednesday's protest follows a bombing in Damascus that killed three senior security figures.

Associated Press
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