Agence France Presse, which often serves as a quasi-public relations firm for various groups in the region (note, for example, the lack of any reporting in the AFP distributed piece regarding claims by other sources that he was elsewhere, or, indeed, anything indicating that al-Assad’s mouthpiece might not be wholly reliable) is reporting (article in today’s Hurriyet Daily News ) the following:

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was in the presidential palace in Damascus today, a close aide told AFP, as speculation about his whereabouts spread after his silence over a deadly bombing.

“He is in the presidential palace in Damascus with his staff and is directing the destiny of the country,” said the unnamed source, who is in direct contact with him.

hurriyetdailynews.com

For another perspective, the following is also in today’s Hurriyet (and was posted earlier than the AFP piece):

Syria’s embattled president, Bashar al-Assad, was wounded in yesterday’s bomb attack which killed the country’s top security chiefs, The Guardian reported today.

The report also claimed al-Assad’s wife, Asma, had fled to Russia.

Unconfirmed reports claimed that al-Assad had suffered injuries in yesterday’s attack which killed his brother-in-law and the deputy chief of the Armed Forces, Assef Shawkat, as well as Defense Minister Dawoud Rahja and Hassan Turkmani, the crisis management chief.

Assad was in the coastal city of Latakia, directing a response to the assassination of three of his top lieutenants, opposition sources and a Western diplomat said today, as reported by Reuters.

Assad, who has not made a public appearance since yesterday’s bombing, was commanding the government operation, they said. It was not clear whether Assad traveled to the Mediterranean sea resort before or after the attack.

Syrian Information Minister Umran al-Zuabi, speaking on state TV yesterday, vowed that those behind the attack would be held accountable even if they were outside the country.

He also said the bombing was orchestrated by Turkish, Qatari, Saudi Arabian and Israeli intelligence.

hurriyetdailynews.com

Gotta love the mandatory “The Israelis did it” line at the end. Because, as we know, Israel desires nothing more on its borders than yet another unstable country in which various groups are violently contending for power.