(CNN) -- As saber rattling grows over the Syrian president's alleged use of chemical weapons against his own people, Bashar al-Assad's once high-profile wife, Asma, has kept a low profile. "She's just hunkered down in Damascus," said Andrew Tabler, a senior fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and author of "In the Lion's Den: An Eyewitness Account of Washington's Battle with Syria." "She's standing by her man." That's where she can be seen in photographs of the al-Assads posted this week on Instagram. No images of bloody battle fields mar the view of the president caught in the middle of the civil war. Instead, photo after photo of the couple show a picture of caring. In one, the first lady -- who majored in computer science and French literature at King's College London -- wipes away a boy's tear. In another, she is listening intently to a group of women.
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"She's just hunkered down in Damascus," says Andrew Tabler, expert on Syria
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Happy images on Instagram account contrast with harsh reality on the ground
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Asma al-Assad is seen at diplomatic functions, awards ceremonies and stirring pots
The photos appeared after the president announced this month that he was adding @placeholder to his social media blitz.
But Tabler, who once lived in @placeholder and interacted with the first family, said he had little insight into her current doings.