General Muhammed Ahmed Faris, a high-ranking Syrian Air Force official and decorated astronaut, crossed over to Turkey on Sunday in the latest high-profile military defection from the Assad regime. He had reportedly tried to escape and defect three times before.
According to the Turkish Andalou News Agency, General Faris arrived in Aleppo on Sunday and met with the commanders of the Free Syrian Army before crossing the border to Turkey.
“I am ready to provide assistance to the Free Syrian Army,” he was quoted as saying. “We are with you all the way.”
Hürriyet Daily News reported that it was the fourth defection attempt by the former astronaut.
Faris was born in 1951 in Aleppo and was a colonel in the Syrian Air Force when he was tapped to participate in a joint Soviet-Syrian space mission. In July 1987 he became the first Syrian and the second Arab in space, spending almost eight days in orbit on the Soviet Mir space station.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
