Photo Gallery Assad's Shrinking Inner Circle
On Aug. 6, Syria's Prime Minister Riad Hijab fled the country. Only installed by President Bashar Assad two months before, the defection came as a major blow to the embattled leader. But it hasn't been the only loss for Assad in Damascus lately.
On the same day that Hijab defected, Assad's cabinet met to name Omar Ghalawanji as his successor. It was seen as an effort to disprove rumors that other ministers had also defected. In addition to many military officers, the following is a list of high-level officials who have either fled or been killed during the ongoing uprising:
Defected: Prime Minister of two months Riad Hijad.
Killed: In mid-July, Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha (center) was killed in a bomb attack in Damascus.
Killed: Assad's brother-in-law and intelligence chief Hisham Bekhtyar was also killed in the attack.
Killed: Syrian Defense Minister Hassan Turkmani was also victim of the attack.
Defected: Syrian general Manaf Tlass (right), a confidant of Assad's for many years, was among the first in the president's inner circle to turn his back on the regime and flee.
