A Syrian air force pilot, Colonel Hassan Hamada, defected to Jordan on Thursday, flying his MiG-21 fighter plane over the border to the King Hussein military air base in Jordan.
According to Jordanian officials the defecting pilot was seeking aslyum.
Jordan's Minister of State for Information, Samih al-Maaytah, said to the Reuters news agency:
"The cabinet has decided to grant the Syrian pilot political asylum upon his request."
Syrian state TV initially said that communication had been lost with a MiG-21 plane, however within a few hours, Syria's defence ministry branded the pilot a "traitor to his country and his military honour", and said that Colonel Hamada would be punished under military law.
Syrian government officials have said they are currently in negotiation with Jordanian officials in an attempt to retrieve the aircraft.