Unlike previous Eids, the Assad did not pray in al-Amawi Grand Mosque. Instead, he and regime members chose to pray in Rihab al-Hamad Mosque.

 Eid prayers mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Among the senior officials present for prayers were Syria’s Foreign Minister Waleed al-Muallim and Minister of Religious Endowments Abdul al-Sattar al-Sayi but not his vice-president whose reported defection was denied the day before.

Assad’s appearance comes amid much speculation on the whereabouts of Vice President Farouq al-Shari, who was said by some members of the Free Syrian Army to have defected to the opposition.

On Saturday, his office denied the reports and said al-Sharaa “did not think, at any moment, of leaving the country.”

It was Assad’s first appearance in public after a bombing on July 4 in the Syrian capital last month killed the country’s defense minister and other top security officials.

 His administration has also been shaken by defections including that of his last prime minister.

The latest development came as the last 100 of the 300 UN monitors prepared to leave the country on Sunday, according to Al Arabiya. The UN observers’ departure comes after the Security Council agreed to end the mission and support a small new liaison office that will support any future peace efforts.

Meanwhile, Lakhdar 

Brahimi, will replace former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is leaving at the end of the month.

More than 18,000 people have died in Syria’s bloodshed and about 170,000 have fled the country, according to the United Nations.

 The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 190 Syrians were killed on Saturday, Al Arabiya reported.