Tunisia's ex-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the first leader toppled in a wave of Arab uprisings, went on trial in his absence on Monday, accused of plundering the country among other charges.

The former strongman fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14 in the face of a popular uprising against his 23-year rule and is to be tried over some 93 cases against him and his entourage.

Six Yemeni soldiers, including two officers, were killed in clashes with al-Qaida-linked militants near the gunmen-held southern city of Zinjibar overnight, an officer said on Monday.

The officer from the 119th Artillery Brigade said army units "fought fierce battles on Sunday night with Ansar al-Sharia (Supporters of Islamic Sharia law) gunmen connected to al-Qaida."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday that Syrian President Bashar Assad must implement reforms in his country or step aside, as the embattled leader prepared to make a major speech.

Hague, on arrival at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, said he hoped Turkey would use its influence on Damascus to tell the regime that "they are losing legitimacy that Assad should reform or step aside."

Seven Iraqis were wounded as an improvised bomb struck a French embassy car in southern Baghdad on Monday, interior ministry and hospital sources said.

The embassy told Agence France Presse the bomb exploded as a single armored car with four French guards on board was passing by and that no one inside was hurt.

President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Russia was ready to use its veto to block a Western-sponsored resolution on Syria at the United Nations as it could be used as cover for military action.

Speaking in an interview with the Financial Times whose full transcript was released by the Kremlin, Medvedev argued that March's U.N. Security Council vote on Libya had paved the way for a military operation.

Israel on Sunday launched a major five-day home front defense exercise intended to prepare its population and emergency services to respond to massive missile attacks, the Israeli military said.

Named "Turning Point 5," the exercise involves testing nationwide siren systems and the cellular network, distributing emergency kits, improving coordination and practicing evacuation and shelter procedures.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said its president was due in Damascus late Sunday to press Syrian leaders to allow access to all people affected by the country's festering violence.

During his two-day visit, Jakob Kellenberger was to confer with Prime Minister Adel Safar, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and Syrian expatriates, the ICRC said in a statement.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is due to make a speech on Monday on developments in his country which has been gripped by four months of anti-regime protests, the official SANA news agency reported.

"President Bashar al-Assad will deliver a speech at noon tomorrow concerning developments in Syria," SANA said in a terse dispatch late on Sunday. It gave no further details.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton held talks on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the international community seeks to relaunch peace talks.

Neither side issued a statement after the afternoon discussions, which came after Ashton met earlier in the week with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Egypt on Sunday appointed Mohammed al-Orabi as the new foreign minister to replace Nabil al-Arabi who will head the Arab League, the official MENA news agency reported.

"Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has tasked Ambassador Mohammed al-Orabi, the deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, to take up the position of minister of foreign affairs," MENA said.