Mon Dec 09 18:09:20 UTC 2024: ## Renewed Hope in Search for Missing US Journalist Austin Tice After Assad’s Fall
**Damascus, Syria** – The United States has launched a renewed and intensified effort to locate and return missing journalist Austin Tice, following the surprise collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced Monday that finding Tice is a “top priority,” reinstating a $1 million FBI reward for information leading to his safe return.
Tice, a former US Marine and freelance journalist, disappeared in Damascus in 2012 after being abducted while reporting on the Syrian uprising. The US believes he is among an estimated 135,000 people detained or disappeared by the Assad regime during the war, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights.
With Assad’s ouster and the release of thousands of prisoners by opposition forces, the US is seizing the opportunity to locate Tice. Sullivan stated that the administration is working with Turkey and individuals on the ground in Syria to find Tice’s location and secure his release. President Biden also expressed renewed hope for Tice’s return, emphasizing the need to identify his location and hold Assad accountable.
While the Assad government has consistently denied holding Tice, the latest video evidence from weeks after his abduction shows him blindfolded and held by armed men. His parents, Marc and Debra Tice, released a statement expressing their unwavering belief that their son is alive and urging anyone with information to assist in his safe return. The renewed effort marks a significant escalation in the long-running search for the missing journalist, offering a glimmer of hope after years of uncertainty.
First Piper 