Syrian pilot defects from the regime

The pilot of the Mig 21 jet, named by Syrian state television as Colonel Hassan Hamada, is believed to be the first to defect from Syrian government forces.

His move came as residents reported intense shelling in the besieged city of Homs, where Red Cross teams are on standby waiting to evacuate buildings of civilians following a temporary truce which had been agreed between rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad to allow aid to get through.

Hundreds of civilians have been stranded in the old city of Homs following 10 days of heavy fighting which has left them unable to leave the battlefield.

The Syrian government has blamed rebel fighters for obstructing efforts to get people out safely.

Indications that the pilot defected first emerged after Syrian authorities confirmed that they had lost contact with the aicraft, which was on a training flight.

Lost contact

Contact was lost at around 10.34am local time, near the Syrian southern border.

Jordan’s minister of state for information, Samih al-Maaytah, confirmed that had asked for asylum, adding: “He is being debriefed at the moment.”

More than 120,000 Syrians fleeing the violence in their homeland have taken refuge in Jordan, according to the Amman government. The United Nations has registered 20,000 of them.

The shelling in Homs was reported by activists and residents. Amateur videos, which were said to be shot on Wednesday, appeared to show heavy shelling and destruction on the ground.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis are continuing, including the prospect of giving President Assad clemency and safe passage.

On Wednesday, David Cameron claimed that Russia had shifted its position to say that he no longer wanted President Assad to remain in power.

His claims were later denied by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.