Syrian TV on Thursday aired footage of President Bashar al-Assad, the first images broadcast of him since a brazen attack on top officials a day earlier, Al Arabiya reported.
The video, of al-Assad swearing in his new Defense Minister Gen. Fahd Jassem al-Freij, came amid growing speculation about the whereabouts of the president. Some reports suggested he might have left the capital.
The high-profile bomb blast in Damascus on Wednesday killed three top regime officials, including the new minister Fahd al Freij's predecessor, Daoud Rajha.
State television did not say where or when the footage was filmed but it will tame suspicions that Assad was killed in the attack, according to Reuters.
