Syrian President Assad attends Eid al-Fitr ceremony in Damascus

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has attended the Eid al-Fitr ceremony in Damascus, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Syrian president performed Eid al-Fitr prayer at the Anas Bin Malek Mosque in the capital on Thursday, alongside the Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmed Hassun.

Top Syrian officials including the country’s parliament speaker and a number of Islamic religious scholars were also present at the mosque.

Meanwhile, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi denied reports suggesting that Assad’s motorcade had come under attack while he was on his way to the mosque.

“These reports are totally false. The president was driving his car himself, he attended the prayer and greeted people… everything is normal,” the minister stated.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011.

Clashes between foreign-backed Takfiri militants and the Syrian army continue on a daily basis.

According to reports, Western powers and their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey – are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million displaced due to the turmoil in Syria.