Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Media reports on Monday revealed that seven top Syrian army officials from Bashar Assad's regime defected and crossed over the Jordanian border on Sunday.

The London-based Al Hayat newspaper reported that a complicated operation to assist the seven Alawite commanders and their families escape from Syria to Jordan succeeded on Sunday, adding that an announcement of their defection and joining the Joint Command of the Free Syrian Army will be made in the upcoming days.

The sources refused to disclose the identity and ranks of the seven defecting military commanders, sufficing to report that they are high military officials holding sensitive posts in the Syrian army and are all from the Alawite sect of President Bashar al-Assad.

"The operation will represent a serious blow to Bashar al-Assad and his regime, and will be followed by successive and more important defections in the coming days," the sources told Al Hayat.