Syrian PM Defects With Other Ministers; Joins Opposition
Breaking: Syria’s Prime Minister defected with his family to Jordan, taking along three other ministers for the ride. Syria’s treasury minister was arrested after apparently getting caught while trying to defect as well.
Report: Syrian PM, Ministers defect to Jordan; Treasury Secretary arrested
Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab has defected to Jordan with his family, as well as with three other Syrian ministers, a Jordanian government official announced Monday.
“Hijab is in Jordan with his family,” Reuters quoted an Amman source as saying. Syrian President Bashar Assad named Hijab, the former Syrian agriculture minister, as PM in June. Syrian state television reported the Hijab had been fired Monday.
…Syrian opposition sources reported that Assad-loyal forces arrested the Syrian Treasury Secretary Mohammad Jlailati in the aftermath of the defections. According to the reports, Jlailati was arrested before he could defect himself.