Abdel
Latif al-Dabbagh, Syria's former ambassador to UAE, has been out of office since
June 4, the Syrian state TV quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying on Thursday.
Dabbagh defected to the rebels fighting to topple the Assad regime on
Wednesday. He was in Cyprus with his wife Lamia Al Hariri, the Syrian
charge
d’affaires in Cyprus, when she also announced her defection on Tuesday.
The Syrian
foreign ministry also announced the defection of its security attaché at its
embassy in the Sultanate of Oman Mohammed Tahseen al-Faqeer, stating that the
latter carries no diplomatic status or security, but is an administrative
employee at the Foreign Ministry whose mission ended as of last May.
The Syrian foreign ministry confirmed the defection
of 3 diplomats, downplaying the importance of their roles. The ministry
also accused an “Arab capital”, without disclosing its name, of financing and
supporting defection in Syria.
Meanwhile, the White House announced that President Bashar Assad’s days are numbered, adding that senior
officials around the Assad inner circle are fleeing the government “because of
the heinous actions taken by Assad against his own people”.
For his part, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday Turkey could act against a "terrorist" organization in northern Syria if it sees it as a threat, referring to outlawed Kurdish militants.
"We will not allow a terrorist group to establish camps in northern Syria and threaten Turkey," Erdogan told a news conference.
"If there is a step which needs to be taken against the terrorist group, we will definitely take this step," he said.
Assad and those close to him were about to leave power and preparations are underway for a "new era" in Turkey's southern neighbor, Erdogan said before departing for London.
Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned world powers on Thursday not to repeat in Syria the mistakes they made in Bosnia, during a landmark visit to Srebrenica where U.N. peacekeepers failed to prevent the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys.
"I don't want to see any of my successors after 20 years visiting Syria and apologizing for what we could have done now to protect civilians in Syria, which we are not doing," Ban said after laying flowers at a white marble memorial to the Srebrenica victims.
In turn, France said on Thursday that Russia and China must act within the United Nations Security Council to stop a possible bloodbath in the Syrian city of Aleppo, where reports say government forces are massing to put down a rebellion.
Asked during a visit to Warsaw if he had concerns about the situation in Aleppo, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said: "the countries of the world and in particular the permanent members (of the Security Council) should come together and take their responsibilities."
He singled out Russia and China, saying: "we hope that finally they will hear the cries, not only from the people in Syria, but from the rest of the world and the Arab countries, to stop this bloodbath."
On the ground
AFP quoted security officials on Thursday as saying that the Syrian
army is preparing for an imminent, conclusive attack on Aleppo to gain back control of the city after the opposition seized
a number of its neighborhoods.
While fighting in Syria’s largest city, Aleppo,
continued between regime troops and
opposition fighters for its seventh consecutive day on Thursday , clashes resumed in Al-Yarmouk Camp neighborhood in
Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Wednesday’s violence that rocked several regions in
Syria killed 143 people including 75 civilians, 41 regime fighters and 27
opposition fighters.
Syria's state TV reported that regime troops continued pursuing armed
terrorist groups in Damascus’ neighborhoods of al-Qadam and al-Assali .
The chase included clashes that killed a large number of “terrorists”
and led to the arrest of others. The TV also said a “terrorist group” in
the village of Zahiriya in Rif Qamishli was raided and "defeated".
Greece said on Thursday it was closing its embassy in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad is fighting a 16-month-old revolt against his rule.
"Due to the worsening security situation in Syria, the operations of the embassy in Damascus will be suspended as of today," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Consulates in the cities of Aleppo, Latakia and Tartus would remain open to assist Greek citizens in Syria, the ministry added.
For the full LBCI report, please watch the video above
REUTERS/LBCI