Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab has defected from President Bashar al-Assad’s government, the Jordanian government says.
Riyad farid Hijab was appointed less than two months ago and his departure is the highest-profile defection since the uprising began in March 2011.
His family is reported to have fled Syria with him.
A Sunni Muslim, Riyad Farid Hijab comes from the Deir al-Zour area of eastern Syria which has been caught up in the revolt.