Syria's President in Rare Appearance Outside Capital
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Syrian President Bashar Assad attended a mosque in the country's west on Friday for prayers marking the end of month of Ramadan, in a rare appearance outside Damascus, images on his social media showed.
"President Assad performs the Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Sayyida Khadija mosque in the city of Tartus," a caption read, referring to the feast marking the close of the Islamic holy month, AFP reported.
In one picture, he was seen praying alongside the country's top Muslim cleric and its Islamic endowments minister.
Another image showed him surrounded by dozens of worshippers who appeared to be offering him Eid greetings.
Assad has rarely appeared in public outside Damascus since Syria's foreign-backed conflict broke out more than six years ago.
He attended Eid al-Fitr prayers in the central city of Hama last year, his first public appearance in Syria outside the capital since the same festival in 2016.
