Syria's President Bashar al-Assad delivered prayers for Islam's Eid al-Fitr holiday in Hama on Sunday, state media reported, in a rare trip outside Damascus and what seemed to be his first visit there since Syria's war began in 2011.

BEIRUT: Syria's President Bashar al-Assad delivered prayers for Islam's Eid al-Fitr holiday in Hama on Sunday in a rare trip outside Damascus and his first declared one to Hama since the war began.

The visit appeared to be the furthest he has travelled inside Syria since fighting started in 2011, a sign of growing confidence after army gains aided by Russian air strikes.

State television broadcast footage of Assad standing to pray in a large mosque in Hama behind its imam, with other clerics standing with him and a large crowd of worshippers.

State news agency SANA quoted the preacher as saying that Assad's presence in the city for Eid showed that victory and the return of security were only "a few steps" away.

Rebels seeking to oust Assad have reached to within a few kilometres of the northern city of Hama as recently as March, before the army and its allies pushed them back.

Last year, he delivered Eid prayers in Homs, about 40 km (25 miles) closer to Damascus. He has not visited Aleppo since the army drove out rebels in December in Assad's biggest victory of the war. </s> Syria’s more confident Assad gives Eid prayers in Hama

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivered prayers for Islam's Eid al-Fitr holiday in Hama on Sunday, the furthest he has traveled inside Syria in years, showing his growing confidence.

 Original Article </s> BEIRUT, June 25 (Reuters) - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad delivered prayers for Islam's Eid al-Fitr holiday in Hama on Sunday in a rare trip outside Damascus and his first declared one to Hama since the war began.

The visit appeared to be the furthest he has travelled inside Syria since fighting started in 2011, a sign of growing confidence after army gains aided by Russian air strikes.

State television broadcast footage of Assad standing to pray in a large mosque in Hama behind its imam, with other clerics standing with him and a large crowd of worshippers.

State news agency SANA quoted the preacher as saying that Assad's presence in the city for Eid showed that victory and the return of security were only "a few steps" away.

Rebels seeking to oust Assad have reached to within a few kilometres of the northern city of Hama as recently as March, before the army and its allies pushed them back.

Last year, he delivered Eid prayers in Homs, about 40 km (25 miles) closer to Damascus. He has not visited Aleppo since the army drove out rebels in December in Assad's biggest victory of the war. (Reporting by Angus McDowall; Editing by Robert Birsel) </s> A Syrian woman prays over the grave of her son at a cemetery in the rebel-held town of Douma on September 12, 2016 (AFP Photo/Sameer Al-Doumy)

Damascus (AFP) - An internationally backed ceasefire for Syria came into effect at sundown Monday as part of a hard-fought deal to bring an end to the war between rebels and regime fighters.

The truce, brokered by the United States and Russia, entered into force at 7:00 pm local time (1600 GMT) across Syria except in jihadist-held areas.

While the Syrian government and its allies have signed on to the deal, opposition forces have yet to formally respond. </s> Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad walk atop of a hill on the edge of Palmyra, March 2, 2017. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

GENEVA (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition declined to congratulate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on retaking historic Palmyra from Islamic State militants on Thursday and suggested the sight of the city changing hands again was risible.

“It is the second time that we see this handover and this is obviously being used for political reasons,” chief opposition negotiator Nasr al-Hariri told reporters in Geneva, adding that he considered both sides to be terrorists.

“If we want to follow the game of Assad and Palmyra, it will be like watching Tom and Jerry.”

Earlier, the Syrian government’s chief negotiator Bashar al-Ja’afari had hailed Assad for keeping his promise to retake the ancient city of Palmyra, and vowed that every last inch of Syria would be retaken from foreign terrorists.

Related Coverage Russia says its military advisers, special forces behind Palmyra recapture </s> Syrian rebels and their families began retreating from the outskirts of Homs, the last remaining opposition-held stronghold in central Syria, after a Russian-brokered evacuation deal was signed earlier this week.

The first buses carrying rebels and their families departed from the al-Waer neighborhood in western Homs early on Saturday, state-run SANA news agency reported.

Talal al-Barazi, Homs’ governor, told the media outlet that the first group of evacuees includes over 1,500 people who will be transported to the northeastern edge of Aleppo province.

The evacuation operation is being overseen by Syrian and Russian military police units, al-Barazi later told Reuters, adding that all rebels from al-Waer are due to depart within around six weeks.

“The preparations and the reality on the ground indicate that things will go well,” the governor stressed. “We are optimistic that the full exit of armed [fighters] from this district will pave the way for other reconciliations and settlements,” he added.

Government forces have been fighting to retake the al-Waer neighborhood, home to some 75,000 people, since 2013.

After the Arab Spring broke out in 2011, the city of Homs saw massive riots against President Bashar Assad, which gradually turned violent, as peaceful demonstrations led to the rise of an armed insurgency.

Once the first batch of rebels has left the area, food and aid supplies are expected to arrive in the troubled neighborhood, al-Barrazi told AP. Earlier this week, he that said rebels who laid down their weapons and decided to stay in al-Waer could be eligible for government amnesty, as declared earlier.

On Friday, the Russian Reconciliation Center said negotiations between the Syrian military and rebel commanders are underway in Homs, Damascus, and Hama, as well as other locations. Once Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo was finally completely liberated last year when rebels evacuated after a ceasefire was declared.

As the Syrian military continues their offensive against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), Damascus has intensified its efforts to persuade some of the rebel groups to surrender and sign reconciliation agreements.

Speaking to Chinese TV station Phoenix last week, President Assad said ceasefire deals negotiated with local rebel leaders were “the real political solutions” that could lead to a lasting peace in war-torn Syria. </s> Sept 12 (Reuters) - Muslims around the world celebrated the Eid al-Adha holiday on Monday, one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar.

Marking the willingness of Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son on God's command, Muslims mark the holiday by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats. The meat is shared among family and friends and also donated to the poor.

Faithful across continents marked the festival which comes as the annual Haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia draws to a close.

In Iraq, authorities adopted tough security measures during the festival, searching worshippers as they entered Abdul-Qadir al-Gilani mosque in Baghdad.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad prayed at a mosque in the Damascus suburb of Daraya, which was evacuated by rebels and surrendered to government control last month, state media reported.

In Asia, tens of thousands of people left Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on crowded trains and ferries for their hometowns to celebrate the holiday with family and friends, while in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, Muslims attended morning prayers.

The festival was also celebrated across Africa, with the faithful in countries such as Somalia and Kenya attending mass prayers.

In Russia, thousands of Muslims gathered for prayers in Moscow while in Britain, Prime Minister Theresa May released a video message to the country's Muslim community.

"I am proud of the contribution British Muslims make to this country and proud that Britain is home to people from vibrant and diverse backgrounds," she said. (Reporting by Reuters Television; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) </s> The celebration of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, which began on Monday, has provided a long-overdue respite for the littlest victims of Syria's devastating war.

Also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, the four-day celebration started with morning prayers and continues with feasts and visits to friends and family. Gifts are exchanged.

The deal calls for a halt to the violence between the Syrian regime and rebel forces. It also allows much-needed humanitarian access to besieged cities such as Aleppo.

The desperately-needed #ceasefire couldn't come soon enough for #Syria's children. https://t.co/sfUOTz0KIF pic.twitter.com/l9Qrj9PHbp — Save the Children US (@SavetheChildren) September 12, 2016 Aleppo has seen many of its neighborhoods come under fire and more than 6,000 people -- mainly civilians -- killed or injured. But this week at least, the giggles, laughs and excited voices of young children were heard rising from the city's ruins. Children lined up for simple amusement rides and mingled with costumed characters. We try to provide basic life needs for Aleppo's children who have forgotten the spirit of Eid because of Syrian war. pic.twitter.com/EDv5eL7zG8 — SOS-Syria (@SOS_Children_Sy) September 12, 2016 A decade ago Aleppo was a bustling economic hub boasting more than 2 million residents. Its robust history and ancient architecture drew many tourists. After four years of hellish battle, the city is now estimated to be home to roughly one-tenth of that number, between 200,000 and 300,000 people. The fighting has been brutal, and many residents have been killed. Others have fled. Those who remained haven't received much aid and are suffering shortages of food, fuel and medicine, a situation that grew only more desperate in July when President Bashar Assad's forces bombarded a major supply artery into the city. Just hours before the ceasefire began Monday evening, airstrikes continued to bombard opposition targets. In addition to eid outfits we have delivered food aid to families of 8.500 orphans in #Syria. pic.twitter.com/GjHC8odE7D — Humanitarian Relief (@IHHen) September 9, 2016 At least seven people, including three children, were killed in rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Monday, according to UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The latest assault followed the deaths of 93 people in airstrikes in Aleppo and Idlib over the weekend -- 61 of them in an attack on a popular market where residents were shopping ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday. The Syrian civil war has killed more than 300,000 people and forced more than 5 million to flee the country, spawning an international refugee crisis. </s> As President Bashar al-Assad's army closed in on the last rebel enclave in Aleppo on Tuesday, Russia, Iran and Turkey said they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal. A rebel fighter stands with his weapon near evacuees from the Shi'ite Muslim villages of al-Foua and Kefraya as they ride bueses in insurgent-held al-Rashideen, Syria December 20, 2016.

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In the first declared visit to the town since the beginning of the war, President Bashar al-Assad attends the Eid al-Fitr prayer in Hama.