A rumor about the death of Syrian President Bashar Assad was massively shared on social media websites on Sunday, the French weekly magazine Le Point reported.

"News about Assad being shot dead by his Iranian bodyguard have not been confirmed yet,” the magazine said, revealing that the opposition's Free Syrian Army has denied such reports.

Noting that "tweets and Facebook comments helped in largely and rapidly disseminating the rumor”, Le Point remarked: “Social media websites were the primary source of this rumor.”

The reported news shared that Assad was shot on Saturday and was transferred to a Damascus hospital, as roads were blocked and buildings surrounding the location were firmly seized by the Syrian army.

Meanwhile, other websites said: “Israeli and Lebanese sources have confirmed the death of Syria's president.”