Cairo (dpa) – A high-ranking official who has defected from the Syrian Defense Ministry, said Thursday that more officials wanted to break away from the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, but were afraid for the safety of their families. Mahmoud Hajj Hamad was the head inspector in the Defense Ministry before defecting during an official trip to Egypt earlier this week. “A close watch on officials in Syria makes it difficult for them to defect,” he told Dubai-based broadcaster Al Arabiya. “The whole government seems to live in a big prison, as no official is allowed to move around without security personnel,” he added. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/PQytM Tags: Arab League, Assad, Defectors, Violence Section: Latest News, Syria