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Syrian Rebels Describe Dramatic Defection of PM to Jordan
(Washington Post) Karin Brulliard and Babak Dehghanpisheh - Syrian Prime Minister Riyad al-Hijab's defection began when he deceived his minders Sunday evening, telling them he was at dinner at his brother's house in Damascus. He hid in Syrian border town safe houses as artillery pounded outside, while leading the world and the regime to believe that he had already escaped. Two days after Syrian rebels and Hijab's spokesman issued headline-grabbing reports that he had defected to neighboring Jordan, the Jordanian government announced Wednesday afternoon that he and his extended family had, in fact, slipped across the border that morning. "Because of the announcement of the defection, the shelling decreased, and so did the Syrians' alertness," said spokesman Mohammad Otari. Lt. Col. Yasser al Aboud, a Free Syrian Army commander who said he played a key role in the operation, said that more than 400 rebel fighters from Damascus and southern Syria were involved in the plan to get Hijab out but that only 20 knew the real identity of their passenger.