Syrian Prime Minister Reportedly Defects

Syrian prime minister Riyad Farid Hijab reportedly defected Monday, delivering a new blow to the embattled government of president Bashar Assad, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hijab would be the highest-profile defector to date from the government, which is struggling to maintain control of the northern city of Aleppo in the 17th month of the rebellion. According to the Arabic news network Al Jazeera, Hijab fled to Jordan overnight with his family, announcing he had joined the opposition. The Syrian government, meanwhile, announced in a report that Hijab had been "dismissed" and that another had been named in his place.