BEIRUT — President Bashar Assad of Syria attended prayers in a Damascus mosque to mark the start of a Muslim holiday on Sunday, his first appearance in public since the bombing last month that killed four of his top security officials.
Elsewhere in the country, thousands staged antigovernment protests in mosques and cemeteries following special prayers marking Eid al-Fitr, the three-day holiday that ends the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Pious Muslims traditionally visit graves and recite prayers for the dead on the holiday.
Assad made the appearance amid much speculation on the whereabouts of Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa, who was said by some members of the Free Syrian Army to have defected to the opposition. On Saturday, his office denied the reports.
Sharaa was not shown in the footage at the mosque with Assad, but observers said the two rarely attend the same functions for security reasons.
Also missing at the event was Abullah al-Ahmar, assistant secretary general of the Ba’ath Party, but it was unclear whether he had fallen out of favor or was also being kept separate as a security precaution.
Amateur video posted by activists on the Internet show a large group of worshipers in a mosque in Damascus shouting: ‘‘There is no God but Allah’’ and ‘‘Assad is the enemy of God,’’ while clapping their hands over their heads. ‘‘May God protect the Free Syrian Army!’’ they also cried, referring to the main rebel group fighting to topple Assad.
Ramadan in Syria was particularly deadly this year as the civil war reached the two largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo. The Syrian regime has suffered a series of setbacks over the past month that point to a loosening of its grip on the country.
The July 18 rebel bombing of the state security headquarters in the capital was a major blow to Assad. His brother-in-law was among the four officials killed.
There has also been a steady stream of high-level defections by government officials, diplomats, and generals, though Assad’s inner circle and military have largely kept their cohesive stance behind him. And the regime has been unable to fully subdue rebel challenges in the two major cities, Damascus and Aleppo.
Syrian state TV broadcast footage showing Assad praying at the city’s Rihab al-Hamad mosque, a relatively small mosque in the Muhajireen district only few hundred yards from the presidential palace.
Residents of Damascus said security forces blocked streets and encircled several central mosques in the capital from Saturday evening, possibly to confuse people about where Assad would attend the traditional holiday prayers.
The last time he appeared in public was on July 4, when he gave a speech in Parliament.