Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made on Wednesday a rare trip outside the capital to meet people displaced by the country’s three-year-old crisis.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made on Wednesday a rare trip outside the capital to meet people displaced by the country's three-year-old crisis.

"President Assad is inspecting conditions for the displaced in Damascus province," state television said.

"President Assad is touring shelters for the displaced... and listening to their needs," it added.

The official SANA news agency said Assad was visiting people in Adra, northeast of the capital.

The town is considered a strategic gateway to Damascus and has seen frequent clashes between the army and the insurgents.

Assad rarely makes public appearances and most of those have been within the confines of the capital.

He was last reported at a public event in January, when he attended prayers at a Damascus mosque.

Assad is expected to seek a new term in a presidential election planned for the middle of the year.