List of Syrian defectors
During the rule of the al-Assad family and the Syrian Civil War, a number of prominent Syrian figures have defected to either the rebellion or to other countries: == During Hafez al-Assad rule == Bassam Adal – 1989 (to Israel) == During Bashar al-Assad rule == Hussam Awak, Syrian Air Force and Air Force Intelligence Directorate officer, claims to have defected in 2005, though others argue that he only joined the Syrian opposition out of opportunism === Syrian civil war === Mohib Omar al-Jadaan, colonel of the Syrian Air Force to Free Syrian Army Bassim Al Khaled, first lieutenant, defected in June 2011 Mohammad Bassam Imadi, Former Ambassador to Sweden – 2011 Abdul Razzaq Tlass, former Syrian police first lieutenant, defected in June 2011, one of the founders of the Khalid ibn al-Walid Brigade in August 2011, and founder and commander of the Farouq Brigades, October 2011–October 2012 Riad al-Asaad, former colonel in the Syrian Air Force, and former commander of the Free Syrian Army, July 2011 Mustafa Al-Sheikh, former General in the Secret Police force, and former head of the Free Syrian Army – 6 January 2012 Imad Ghalioun, parliamentarian for Homs – January 2012 (to Egypt) Abdo Hussameddin, Deputy Oil Minister – 7 March 2012 Firas Tlass, son of Mustafa Tlass, the former defence minister under Hafez al-Assad – 12 March 2012 (to Paris) Hassan Hamada, Syrian Air Force Colonel – 2012 (to Jordan) Fares Bayoush, Syrian Air Force lieutenant colonel – July 2012 Manaf Tlass, Brigadier General of the Republican Guard – 2012 (to Turkey, later Paris) Nawaf al-Fares, Ambassador to Iraq – 2012 (In Iraq, later moved to Qatar) Adnan Silu, Major General and former head of Syria's chemical weapons program – July 2012 defected to the opposition. Abdelatif al-Dabbagh, Ambassador to the UAE, July 2012 (to Qatar) Lamia al-Hariri, niece of Syrian vice president Farouk al-Sharaa, Envoy to Cyprus, – July 2012 (to Qatar) Mohammad Tahseen Faqir, military attaché at the Syrian embassy in Oman – July 2012 Ikhlas al-Badawi, Aleppo MP, a Ba'athist and an Assad loyalist, defected to Turkey with her six children – July 2012 Farouk Taha, Ambassador to Belarus.