A member of Syrian president Bashar Assad's inner circle has defected, a western official has revealed. Sources said Brigadier General Manaf Tlass, a member of the elite Republican Guards and the son of a former defense minister, has abandoned the regime, Belfast Telegraph said.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other opposition websites claim Brig Gen Tlaas fled to Turkey.

The defection is a fresh blow to Mr Assad just as the US and its European partners threaten new sanctions, while the opposition urges military intervention.

Brig Gen Tlass's departure comes as around diplomats meet in Paris at a so-called Friends of Syria conference, aimed at bolstering the Syrian resistance and pressing Syria's allies to discuss transition strategies after 16 months of brutal crackdowns and civil war.

The US and its European partners are threatening new sanctions on Mr Assad's regime if he does not act on a new peace plan, but the fractured Syrian opposition is seeking quick military actions instead.