Syrian President Bashar al-Assad paid an unexpected visit to an educational center in the capital Damascus on Wednesday.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad paid an unexpected visit to an educational center in the capital Damascus on Wednesday.

"President Assad made a surprise visit to the Educational Centre for Fine Arts where the education ministry was honoring the families of students who were martyred as a result of terrorist acts, to honor the parents himself," the presidency said on its official Facebook page, alongside photos of Assad at the center.

The visit appeared to be Assad's first public appearance since he attended prayers at a mosque in a northern district of Damascus to mark the Prophet Mohammad's (pubh) holy birthday on January 24th.

In photos posted on the presidency page, Assad is shown meeting with relatives of those killed in the violence erupted by opposition militant groups across the country.

The education center specializes in training teachers of the fine arts, and is in the Tijara neighborhood of eastern Damascus, near Jubar district, where fighting has raged for months between regime and rebel forces.

The visit came a day after the regime accused opposition forces of using chemical weapons in their battle to oust the current government.