- Manaf Tlas is a member of President Bashar al-Assad's inner circle
- Tlas' father is a former Syrian defense minister
Paris (CNN) -- Manaf Tlas, a general in Syria's elite Republican Guards, has defected, a Western diplomat said Friday.
Tlas is the son of a former Syrian defense minister and cousin of a first lieutenant in President Bashar al-Assad's army.
"He's an inside confidant of Assad. So it counts that even an insider thinks it's time to go," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official was not authorized to speak to the media.
Tlas is estranged from the regime over the killing of Sunnis, the official said. His father, a former defense minister, and the rest of his family are in Paris, the official said.
Reports of Tlas defection first surfaced Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether he was making his way to Paris to join his family.
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