King Abdullah of Jordan has said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should stand down in the wake of the continued unrest in his country, according to the UK-based BBC news service.

“I believe if I were in his shoes, I would step down,” King Abdullah said in the interview with the BBC.

The UN estimates that more than 3,500 people have been killed in Syria since the anti-government protests began in March. Approximately 25 people were killed in the Syrian city of Homs on 11 and 12 November during further protests.

President Bashar al-Assad assumed power in 2000 after his father had ruled the country for three decades.