With a video posted on YouTube Wednesday, Syrian deputy oil minister Abdo Hussameddin announced his defection from President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Hussameddin had served the Syrian government for 33 years and is the highest level political figure to abandon the government for the rebellion. “I am joining the revolution of the people who reject injustice and the brutal campaign of the regime,” Hussameddin states in the video. Jim Muir is a correspondent for our partner the BBC.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.