Top Syrian general defects to rebel side

A high-ranking Syrian general who once led a military intelligence office widely believed to be a torture site has defected from the army.

The defection of Brigadier General Mohammed Nour Ezzedeen Khallouf comes a day after the rebels' top military commander again called for members of the armed forces to join the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, now entering its third year.

But there were no reports of unusually widespread or decisive defections in response to a video address in English and Arabic released on Friday by General Salim Idris, who defected last July and is now the leader of the Free Syrian Army's unified military command.

Instead, Assad's government went on the political offensive, calling on Brazil, China, India and other developing powers to help stop the Syrian conflict and find a political solution to the uprising.

Khallouf, the latest defector, was the army's chief of supplies and logistics. He appeared briefly on Saturday in a broadcast on Al Arabiya. "Arrangements for the defection from the current Assad regime started a while ago," he said. "There was co-ordination with several sides from various factions of the Syrian revolution."

His acceptance into the rebels' ranks underscores their assertion that they will welcome anyone who switches sides even now, so deep into the conflict.