According to British daily The Guardian, Makdisi — a Christian who has long been loyal to the al Assad clan — was en route to the United States on Dec. 5. A day earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is the main propaganda media outlet for the Syrian opposition, claimed that members of the Syrian regime (though not al Assad himself) had pressured Makdisi to resign and that he and his family were traveling to London from Beirut's international airport. The U.S. and British governments have denied these reports, and Makdisi's whereabouts remain unconfirmed. Makdisi is an important figure in the Syrian regime. His fluency in English and his public relations skills were instrumental in defending the regime throughout the uprising, including during particularly tense periods, such as when Syrian forces shot down a Turkish jet in June.