Lebanon’s intelligence chief visited Damascus amid efforts to free Austin Tice
Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim suggested efforts to secure the American journalist's release continued after Ibrahim visited Washington last month.
The head of Lebanon’s intelligence directorate said in an interview on Saturday that he recently visited Damascus amid ongoing attempts to secure the release of Austin Tice, an American journalist believed to be held captive by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim told Lebanon’s Al-Jadid news in a television interview that the two-day visit came after he visited Washington last month. During that trip, Ibrahim met with Tice’s mother as well as national security advisor Robert O’Brien.
The intelligence chief said Saturday that efforts to find answers about Tice’s situation will not stop. “I promised his mother that the issue of sanctions will not prevent me from completing her son’s case.”
President Donald Trump said in March that the United States was working “very hard” to secure Tice’s release.
