Marking the end of the holy months of Ramadan, the Syrian president performed Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Anas Bin Malek Mosque in the capital on Thursday, alongside the Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun.

Top Syrian officials including the country’s parliament speaker and a number of religious scholars were also present at the mosque.

An al-Qaeda linked group spokesman in a speech posted on social media via skype claimed that President al-Assad motorcade came under heavy fire while he was on his way to Mosque.

However, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi denied the reports.

“These reports are totally false. The president was driving his car himself, he attended the prayers and greeted people… everything is normal,” the minister stated.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011.

Clashes between foreign-backed Takfiri militants and the Syrian army continue on a daily basis.

According to reports, Western powers and their regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million displaced due to the turmoil in Syria.

MRKD/BA