BREAKING NEWS

Syria's Assad pays Easter visit to recaptured Christian town

By REUTERS

APRIL 20, 2014 14:10

BEIRUT - Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday visited the ancient Christian town of Maaloula recaptured from rebels last week, state media said, a rare appearance outside central Damascus.

Government forces backed by fighters from the Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah retook Maaloula, north of Damascus, on Monday, the latest in a series of advances against rebels in the Qalamoun mountains area near Lebanon.

Assad's visit on Easter Sunday was a rare appearance outside the capital and comes after officials and allies in Lebanon and elsewhere have voiced increasing confidence the threat of the leader is secure in his position.

During the trip to Maaloula, Assad inspected Mar Sarkis - a Greek Orthodox monastery dating to the fourth century - and damage caused to it "at the hands of terrorists," state news agency SANA said, using the government's customary term for the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad.

It said he also inspected the Mar Thecla monastery. Islamist fighters, some from the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, had taken over part of the town in December and held several nuns captive until releasing them in March in a prisoner-exchange deal.

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