n soldiers march in the town of Saqba in the capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta after the army liberated it on March 18, 2018. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited Eastern Ghouta on Sunday, as the army has liberated 80 percent of that area from the rebels. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

DAMASCUS, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday visited a frontline area in the capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta area, where the Syrian army is advancing against the rebels, the Syrian presidency media office said.

The media office of the Syrian army published two photos, in which Assad appeared surrounded by soldiers with a caption reading "on the frontline in Eastern Ghouta, President Assad is with the heroes of the Syrian army."

The rare visit comes as the Syrian forces are making strides in the battles against various rebel groups in Eastern Ghouta.

State news agency SANA said thousands of people fled areas in Eastern Ghouta on Sunday, the latest in a series of mass evacuations from that rebel stronghold on the eastern rim of Damascus.