Bashar al-Assad has tried to portray his control of Syria with an appearance at the prayers for Eid al-Adha (the Feast of the Sacrifice).
Assad has made PR visits to prayers on major occasions throughout the 78-month conflict, but the location of Friday’s event was notable. It was in Qara, halfway between Damascus and Homs, as the regime tried to show that it is now secure outside the capital.
The presiding cleric, Sheikh Ma’moun al-Qadiri, drove home the message in the ceremony attended by MPs, officials, and the regime’s Grand Mufti:
We say the Eid came back this year accompanied with a great victory for our army in Qalamoun, and this victory is crowned with your Excellency’s presence among your people in the Qara of Qalamoun.
There was no reference to the essential support of Russian, Iranian, and Hezbollah for the regime’s survival since 2011, even as the media arms of those allies put out video of Assad at prayer:
Qadiri said of Assad, “Thanks to your patience and wisdom, supported by the people and army, you are leading the homeland towards safety.”
