Syria : Activist says Brig . Gen. Manaf ##i does n't want to join the opposition at all . Tlas was perhaps the most senior official in Bashar al - Assad 's regime , scholar says . Tlas was disgusted with the killing of Sunnis , a Western official says . The royal family knows ` ` how the place is wired , '' a Syria expert says .
NEW : Activist says Brig . Gen. Manaf Tlas does n't plan to join the opposition at present . Tlas was perhaps the most senior Sunni in Bashar al-Assad 's regime , scholar says . Tlas was disgusted with the killing of Sunnis , a Western official says . The Tlas family knows `` how the place is wired , '' a Syria expert says .