US Had Direct Contact With Syrian Rebel Groups, Blinken Says

People celebrate with rebl fighters at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 8, 2024. Louai BesharaAFP via Getty Images

The United States has been in direct contact with Syrian rebel groups including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is now the country’s dominant force following the collapse of the long-ruling Assad regime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday.

This marks the first public confirmation of direct interaction between the United States and designated terror group HTS, and comes at the conclusion of Blinken’s diplomatic trip in the region amid Syria’s rapid political upheaval.

“Yes, we’ve been in contact with HTS and other parties,” Blinken said at a press conference in Jordan. The communication, he said, was part of renewed efforts to locate American journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in Syria 12 years ago.

Blinken did not provide specific details, such as when the contact was made, at what level, or whether those discussions extended beyond the search for Tice.

Tice, a Houston native, is 43 years old if he is still alive. According to a website maintained by his family, Tice graduated from Georgetown University, served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, and later returned to Georgetown to pursue a law degree.

In May 2012, the year before his final year at Georgetown, Tice went to Syria as a freelance journalist to cover the ongoing civil war there. That August, Tice—who freelanced for CBS, The Washington Post, McClatchy, and other news organizations—traveled just south of the Syrian capital of Damascus to complete his final assignments before he planned to depart for Lebanon.

On Aug. 14, 2012, three days before his 31st birthday, Tice was detained at a checkpoint after departing from the Damascus suburb of Darayya. The U.S. government said at that time that Tice had been captured by Assad’s government, which had consistently denied involvement and claimed no knowledge of his whereabouts.

Bashar al-Assad, whose family ruled Syria for five decades, fled to Russia this week after a lightning rebel offensive overwhelmed Damascus. The fall of the Assad regime has reignited hope that Tice will be found alive, as rebel forces have been freeing detainees from prisons across the country, raising the possibility that Tice might be among them.

On Friday, the FBI published a photo of what Tice may look like today. The age-progression photo shows him with a graying beard and fine lines around his forehead and eyes.

“The United States continues our own dogged, determined efforts to find American journalist Austin Tice and bring him home safely,” Blinken said.

Joining Blinken on Saturday’s press conference were foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The diplomats announced a framework for engaging with any future Syrian government, emphasizing the need for a “Syrian-led and Syrian-owned” political process that safeguards the rights of all citizens, including women and minorities.

The group of leaders also highlighted a shared commitment in preventing Syria from becoming a haven for terrorism.

“Syria should not be used as a basis for terrorist groups or others to threaten Syrian people, its neighbors, and the world,” the secretary of state said.

“Our message to the Syrian people is: We want you to succeed and we are ready to help you do so.”