The mother of missing American journalist Austin Tice has informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a letter that her family possesses “credible information” suggesting that Tice may be detained in a prison near Damascus, Syria. She urged the Israeli government to suspend military operations in the region to facilitate search efforts.
In her letter dated December 14, Debra Tice indicated that the prison is located beneath a Syrian military museum in the Mount Qasioun area and is connected to a neighborhood and a government palace via a tunnel. She expressed concern that ongoing Israeli military actions are obstructing rescue operations.
“We have no way of knowing if the prisoners there have food and water,” Ms. Tice wrote, emphasizing the urgency of her request for a pause in strikes and the deployment of Israeli resources to locate her son and other detainees.
Gal Hirsch, the Israeli government’s envoy for hostage affairs, confirmed receipt of the letter and stated that he is in daily coordination with U.S. officials, including Roger D. Carstens, the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. Hirsch affirmed Israel's commitment to assist the U.S. in bringing hostages and missing persons home.
U.S. officials reported on Monday that they lack specific information regarding Austin Tice's location. Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues to target weapons depots and air defenses in Syria to prevent military equipment from reaching extremist groups, as noted by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Austin Tice was abducted in 2012 near Damascus amid the escalating Syrian civil war. The U.S. government believes he is being held by the regime of Bashar al-Assad, which has consistently denied any knowledge of his whereabouts. Efforts to locate Tice have intensified since December 8, when rebel groups took control of Damascus following the fall of several major cities, prompting President al-Assad to seek refuge in Russia.