Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (L) meets with professors and students of political science college in Damascus April 13,2014, in this handout photograph released by Syria's national news agency SANA . REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters
MAALOULA, Syria (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday visited an ancient Christian town recaptured from rebels last week, state media said, as he seeks to persuade minorities that the government is their best protection against hardline Islamists.
Assad's Easter visit to Maaloula - a rare appearance outside central Damascus - also highlighted growing government confidence in recent gains against insurgents around the capital and along the Lebanese border.
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