Syria’s Assad makes rare appearance for Eid prayers

DAMASCUS — Syrian President Bashar Assad attended holiday prayers at a Damascus mosque on Thursday, state media reported, in a rare public appearance for the embattled regime head.

“President Assad led Eid al-Adha prayers at the Al-Adel mosque in Damascus, with senior officials from the (ruling Baath) party, the state, and a number of Muslim religious leaders and civilians,” Syria’s official news agency SANA reported.

In a photograph published on his official Twitter account, Assad appears standing in prayer, flanked by Prime Minister Wael Halaqi and Grand Mufti Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun.

On Wednesday, Assad issued two decrees increasing monthly wages for public sector employees in Syria, in an apparent gesture on the eve of the Muslim holiday.

Since the uprising against his rule erupted in March 2011, Assad’s few public appearances have been mostly limited to official prayers on feast days.

Damascus has been largely spared the devastation wrought on other Syrian cities by the civil war, although there has been periodic mortar and rocket fire by rebels entrenched in the suburbs.

At least 240,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Assad’s public appearance comes after Russia admitted to significantly boosting its military presence in the country. The Russian troop surge is aimed at defeating the Islamic State group, several top Russian officials including President Vladimir Putin said over the past two weeks.

Russia as well as Iran, another main backer of Assad, say any resolution for the Syrian civil war must include Assad staying in power as president. The US and other Western countries accuse Assad of the lion’s share of the carnage in his country and insist he step down, even if he will continue to serve as president for a transitional period.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.