Syria's ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf al-Fares said he had defected and joined the revolution against Bashar al-Assad, becoming the first senior diplomat to quit the embattled government.
According to the Reuters news agency, Fares called on Syrian soldiers to follow his lead and turn their guns on the Damascus leadership.
"I declare that I have joined, from this moment, the ranks of the revolution of the Syrian people," he said in a video statement posted on Facebook. "I ask … the members of the military to join the revolution and to defend the country and the citizens … Turn your guns towards the criminals from this regime," he added. » | Martin Chulov in Beirut | Wednesday, July 11, 2012
