Head of the Syrian opposition bloc Ahmad al-Jarba was punched thrice as leaders of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) scuffled during a meeting in Istanbul Thursday, according to a spokesman of the army’s chief of staff.

Head of the Syrian opposition bloc Ahmad al-Jarba was punched thrice as leaders of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) scuffled during a meeting in Istanbul Thursday, according to a spokesman of the army's chief of staff.

"Jarba received three punches even though he was not involved in the fistfight and was only trying to separate the two camps," Omar Abu Leila told media outlets on Friday.

He said the 30 members of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army and the field commanders engaged themselves in a fistfight during a Thursday meeting in Istanbul.

Abu Leila said that the scuffle broke out over differences regarding the details of an earlier agreement to settle a dispute triggered by the sacking of Free Syrian Army chief Salim Idriss.

Jarba and the FSA ground commanders had met in Istanbul earlier to resolve the dispute.

According to the deal reached, both interim defense minister Assad al-Mustafa and Idriss were to submit their resignations.

However, the Supreme Military Council of the FSA announced on Friday that al-Mustafa was staying in his post.

"The agreement is ink on paper. It's null and void," Colonel Qassem Sadaddin, the council's spokesman, said on Friday.

Citing the ineffectiveness of the general staff in the past few months, the council sacked Idriss on February 17 and appointed veteran field commander Abdullah al-Bashir in his place.

But the FSA's ground commanders rejected the decision, saying they would only take orders from Idriss.