The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of two-thirds of the country and is on the verge of collapse, the BBC quoted ex-Syrian premier Riyad Hijab as saying.
“I assure you, from my experience and former position, that the regime is collapsing, spiritually and financially, as it escalates militarily. It no longer controls more than 30% of Syrian territory,” Hijab said.
Calling on top officials to defect “for the good of the people,” Hijab, who himself fled Damascus with his family a week ago, told journalists in Amman, Jordan’s capital, that the Syrian armed forces needed to “take the side of the people.”
The Syrian conflict has claimed between 14,000 and 20,000 lives since March 2011, according to estimates by various opposition groups and the UN. The West is pushing for Assad’s ouster, while Russia and China are trying to prevent outside interference in the country, claiming the Assad regime and the opposition are both to blame for the bloodshed.
Saying he was “powerless to stop the injustice,” Hijab urged "the army to follow the example of Egypt and Tunisia's armies and take the side of people,” as quoted by the BBC.
