Syrian Pilot Defects to Jordan

A Syrian fighter pilot defected Thursday, according to Jordanian officials, even as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad prevented the Red Cross from entering the city of Homs. The pilot reportedly landed his plane at the King Hussein Air Base, not far from the Syrian border. Syrian state media reported that the military lost contact with a plane on a training mission. Both Syrian media and Jordanian sources identified the plane in question as a Russian-made MiG 21 jet. The Associated Press quoted Ahmad Kassem, a Free Syrian Army spokesman, as saying that anti-Assad forces had encouraged pilot Col Hassan Mirei al-Hamadeh to switch sides.