Former Syrian defense minister Gen. Ali Habib defects - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page

Syrian President Bashar Assad with former Defense Minister Gen. Ali Habib (center) and Chief of Staff Gen. Daoud Rajiha in August 2010 (File Photo: Reuters)

Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters /Amman

Former Syrian Defense Minister General Ali Habib, a prominent member of President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect, has defected and is now in Turkey, a senior member of the opposition Syrian National Coalition told Reuters on Wednesday.

If his defection is confirmed, Habib would be the highest ranking figure from the Alawite minority to break with Assad since the uprising against his rule began in 2011.

“Ali Habib has managed to escape from the grip of the regime and he is now in Turkey, but this does not mean that he has joined the opposition. I was told this by a Western diplomatic official,” Kamal al-Labwani said from Paris.......

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