CNN, November 6, 2012– In another sign of cracks in the Syrian government’s armor, seven army generals defected to Turkey on Tuesday, Turkish media reported.
The generals were allowed to enter Turkey through the southern Hatay province under tight security measures, the Anadolu Agency said.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost a stream of high-level government and military officials in recent months as his forces continue battling rebels seeking an end to four decades of al-Assad family rule.
Manaf Tlass, a brigadier general and a former close friend of the president, left Syria’s Republican Guard in July. Prime Minister Riyad Hijab has also defected.
In other developments:
Rebels regroup Opposition members met in Qatar for a third day Tuesday in an effort to unify and strengthen Syria’s rebellion.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week the opposition Syrian National Council — largely made up of Syrian expatriates — should no longer be considered the “visible leader” of efforts to form a government to replace President Bashar al-Assad. Clinton said the opposition must include seats for “those who are on the front lines fighting and dying today.”
An SNC spokesman told CNN on Tuesday that the group will issue a statement after the end of the four-day opposition meetings Wednesday night.
“We are aiming to rearrange the structure of the SNC body and this will be the best answer to the latest international calls to form a stronger and a more unified opposition front to speed up the end of the bloodshed in Syria and to topple the Assad regime,” spokesman George Sabra said.
Brother of parliamentary speaker killed
The Syrian government blamed “terrorists” for Tuesday’s shooting death of Mohammad Osama al-Laham, the brother of parliamentary speaker Mohammad Jihad al-Laham.
State-run media said terrorists fired on him in Damascus as he was driving to work.
The Syrian government often refers to rebels as “terrorists,” but there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the reported attack.
On the ground: Violence and deaths ratchet up
A barrage of attacks across the country killed at least 35 people Tuesday morning, opposition activists said.
One video posted online shows large plumes of dark smoke billowing into the sky. The activists said the smoke came from an explosion at an oil pipeline in Homs as government and rebel forces battled nearby.
CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video or of death tolls in the country, as the Syrian government has restricted access by foreign journalists.
But opposition activists say more than 35,000 people have been killed since the Syrian crisis erupted almost 20 months ago.