President Bashar Assad travels to quake-hit Aleppo

This aerial view shows residents searching for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings following an earthquake in the village of Besnia near the twon of Harim, in Syria's rebel-held noryhwestern Idlib province on the border with Turkey, on February 6, 2022. Hundreds have been reportedly killed in north Syria after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that originated in Turkey and was felt across neighbouring countries. (AFP)

Syrian President Bashar Assad has made his first public appearance in the earthquake-devastated areas of Syria.

Four days after the 7.8-magnitude temblor, Assad and his wife, Asmaa, visited wounded patients Friday at the Aleppo University Hospital, Syrian state media said.

Aleppo is Syria's second city, already scarred by years of heavy bombardment and shelling, and was among the most devastated cities by the Feb. 6 earthquake.

Assad has been meeting with delegations from countries sending aid, but until now those have taken place in Damascus. Friday's visit to Aleppo marked his first visit to the earthquake-affected areas.