Syria’s former prime minister who defected to the opposition claims that Bashar al-Assad’s regime is nearing collapse. At a press conference in Jordan, Riad Hijab said, “The regime is on the verge of collapse morally and economically in addition to cracks in the military.” He is the highest-ranking official to defect, though he was not part of Assad’s inner circle. Hijab said he felt “pain in his soul” over the violence, and that “honorable leaders” should also defect. “I urge the army to follow the example of Egypt’s and Tunisia’s armies—to take the side of the people,” he said.
