High-ranking Syrian general defects from army

A high-ranking general in the Syrian army defected on Saturday with the help of opposition fighters and said morale is low among those still fighting for regime of Bashar Assad as the popular uprising enters its third year, AP reported. Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ezz al-Din Khalouf told Al-Arabiya TV that many of those still with Assad's regime have lost faith in it. 'It not an issue of belief or practicing one's role,' he said. 'It's for appearance's sake, to present an image to the international community from the regime that it pulls together all parts of Syrian society under this regime.' Activist videos posted online Saturday showed Khalouf sitting with an oppositon fighter after his defection and riding in a car to what the video said was the Jordanian border. The video said he was Chief of Staff for the army branch that deals with supplies and fuel.