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Syria's most senior diplomat in Britain has announced his resignation in a protest against "violent and oppressive" actions of President Bashar-al Assad's regime. Khaled al-Ayoubi, who had been charge d'affaires, told the Foreign Office that his conscience no longer allowed him to work for Assad's regime. The Foreign Office hailed his departure as 'another blow to the Assad regime,' The Telegraph reports. "It illustrates the revulsion and despair the regime's actions are provoking amongst Syrians from all walks of life, inside the country and abroad," it said in a statement. "We urge others around Bashar Al-Assad to follow Mr al-Ayoubi's example; to disassociate themselves from the crimes being committed against the Syrian people and to support a peaceful and free future for Syria ," it added. Al-Ayoubi's departure was the latest in a series of diplomatic and military defections as the rebellion against Assad heads for its 18th month and the death toll reaches 19,000.

Syrian diplomat in Britain quits over 'oppressive' actions of Assad