Masked men killed three soldiers and left others injured after they opened fire in an early morning attack in central Sinai on Sunday.

According to the official page of military spokesman Ahmed Ali, the attack left 11 soldiers injured. Assailants used a four wheel drive to carry out the attack on the bus carrying military personnel.

Interim President Adly Mansour said in a televised speech on Sunday afternoon that “terrorist attacks aim at breaking the will of Egyptians,” adding that “the will of Egyptians will not break”.

He announced that he had requested from the head of the Appeals Court the increase of the number of circuits handling trials of those suspected of being involved in such attacks.

Mansour said: “We will not hesitate to take exceptional measures if necessary.”

Prime Minsiter Hazem El-Beblawi mourned the death of the soldiers in a statement released on Sunday.

This attack comes one day after a military helicopter was shot down in North Sinai, for which militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis claimed responsibility, killing five soldiers.

After the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July, militancy surged in the Sinai and security forces have been increasingly targeted.

One attack targeting a bus in November left 11 soldiers dead and over a dozen injured. One of the deadliest attacks in Sinai took place in August, when armed men killed 25 police soldiers in Rafah.

Last week, unidentified assailants attacked a gas pipeline in the area of Risan in central Sinai. The attack was carried out using improvised explosive devices.

Typically, militancy has been concentrated in the Sinai Peninsula; however, on Friday, four blasts went off in different areas in Greater Cairo, killing six people and injuring more.

Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis has also claimed responsibility for bombings in the capital. The group  had also previously claimed responsibility for the failed assassination attempt on interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim.