Assad appears in public for Eid prayers

Assad appears in public for Eid prayers

DAMASCUS - Agence France-Presse

A handout image made available 19 August 2012 by Syrian Arab News Agency showing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (3-R) attending the Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Al-Hamad Mosque in Mohajirin quarter, 19 August 2012 in Damascus, Syria. EPA photo

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad joined prayers in a Damascus mosque Sunday for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, as his forces reportedly pressed on with a deadly assault against rebels.
 
State television aired footage of Assad with several top government and ruling Baath party officials, including Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi, who took office only this month after the defection of his predecessor.