Biden officials meet with Lebanese spy chief in renewed bid to free Americans held in Syria

The pinnacle of Lebanon’s fundamental intelligence service met with Biden administration officers in Washington this week to debate reviving negotiations with the Syrian authorities in a bid to safe the discharge of journalist and former marine Austin Tice and different Individuals.

Particular Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens was among the many U.S. officers who met with the Lebanese spy chief, the State Division stated Wednesday, confirming that Tice’s case had been amongst these mentioned however declining to offer additional particulars.

Requested in regards to the standing of efforts to safe Tice’s launch and his talks with U.S. officers, Main Common Abbas Ibrahim instructed NBC Information: “We’re engaged on it.”

Ibrahim additionally met with Austin’s Tice’s mother and father throughout his three day go to to Washington, he stated, in addition to with Diane Foley, mom of James Foley. President Joe Biden met with the Tice household earlier this month.

“[Tice] has spent 1 / 4 of his life separated from his household,” State Division Spokesperson Ned Worth stated. “It’s our objective to see Austin safely returned to his household to be able to as soon as once more give them a hug and might be with them for the primary time in 10 years. That’s what we’re working towards.”

Ibrahim has been a part of a number of profitable hostage mediations with the Syrian authorities, serving to to safe the discharge of each U.S. citizen Samuel Goodwin and Canadian citizen Kristian Lee Baxter in 2019. 

Carstens, who has held the place of Particular Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs since March 2020, additionally met with Ibrahim as a part of the Trump Administration’s endeavors to safe Tice’s launch.

Carstens was one among two U.S. officers who made a secret go to to Syria that very same yr to carry high-level talks with the Assad authorities within the hopes of discovering additional data on Tice.

“We got here very shut throughout Mr. Trump,” Maj. Gen. Ibrahim stated in an interview with The Nationwide Tuesday, telling the Emirate based mostly outlet that his subsequent assembly with the Tices could be in Syria.