US hostage representative in Beirut to gather details on missing reporter Austin Tice

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government’s chief negotiator for hostage situations has traveled to Beirut to gather information about Austin Tice, an American journalist who has been unaccounted for in Syria for the past 12 years, according to the State Department on Monday.

Roger Carstens, serving as the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, is engaging with officials in the area, particularly in light of the recent developments following the ousting of Bashar Assad’s regime. His goal is to uncover details regarding Tice’s whereabouts and to “bring him home as soon as possible,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller informed reporters on the same day.

For years, Lebanon has played a role in facilitating discussions regarding Tice’s situation. President Joe Biden expressed on Sunday that his administration is hopeful about Tice’s survival and remains dedicated to ensuring his return, although he conceded that “we have no direct evidence” confirming Tice’s current condition.

Tice, whose work has appeared in prominent publications like The Washington Post and McClatchy newspapers, vanished at a checkpoint in a disputed region just west of Damascus as the Syrian civil war was worsening.

A video that emerged shortly after Tice’s disappearance depicted him blindfolded and in the custody of armed individuals, with him uttering the words, “Oh, Jesus.” Since that time, there has been no communication from him, and the Syrian government has publicly refuted any claims of holding him.