officials The government of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad has suffered a wave of defections throughout the ongoing conflict — notably the state’s Prime Minister, Riyad Farid Hijab, as well as a slew of military officers who’ve turned to helm the Free Syrian Army.
family Assad must now count one of his own relatives as a deserter to his cause — Yousef Assad, a high-ranking air force official who has abandoned the regime and joined the opposition, citing “murder, explusion and neglect” as the reason. source
