The Syrian army's head of the logistics and supply defected Saturday along with his son after planned operations with the country's opposition fighters.
Major general Mohammed Nour Izz al-din Khalouf told Al Arabiya that the defection process took time to materialize.
"Preparations for my defections from the Assad regime started with coordinated planning with different factions from the Syrian revolution until it succeeds," the major general said.
His son, Captain Izz al-din Khalouf, head of reconnaissance squadron, has also defected from the Syrian regime.
Their defections, meanwhile, coincide with the defection of the head of the Syrian consulate in Cuba, Haitham Humaidan, sources told Al Arabiya on Saturday.
On July 2012, a wave of Syrian envoys working in various diplomatic missions around the world decided to defect.
It is unclear whether Farouq Al-Sharaa on July last year has defected. His last public appearance was at the funeral of top security officials, who were killed in a bombing on the national security headquarters in July 2012.
However, on August 2012, Syria's Prime Minister Riyad Hijab defected to join the revolution making him the highest ranking official to do so.
Syria's foreign ministry's spokesman, Jihad Makdissi, had his whereabouts unknown for months. It was unclear on whether he defected or was eradicated by the Assad regime for making an announcement that Syria possessed chemical and biological weapons.
But on March, Al Arabiya spotted him sitting a coffee shop in Dubai. UAE has received mother and sister of President Assad, and currently home of Syrian investors who wanted to safeguard their lives and savings.
Recently, Britain and France said that they will lift arms embargo on Syrian opposition and will start funneling anti-Assad regime fighters with weapons despite EU's rejection of such move.
In a sign of further escalation of the 23-month conflict, Syrian leader's adviser Bouthaina Shaaban said the president called on the BRICS nations to intervene to end the conflict in his country.
The civil war has killed 70,000 people, according to U.N. estimates.
16 Mar, 2013
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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/2013/03/16/Al-Arabiya-Exclusive-Syrian-army-official-and-captain-son-defect.html
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