US working directly with rebels that overthrew Assad in search for American hostage Austin Tice

The US is working with the Islamist rebel group that overthrew the Syrian government last week, with the goal of finding an American journalist held hostage, according to reports.The collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which sent him fleeing to Russia, and the takeover by the jihadist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has sparked fears of instability in an already tense region.HTS, which was once was affiliated with al-Qaeda but broke from the group, remains on the State Department’s terrorism list.Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been holding meetings across the Middle East, including in Turkey and Iraq, to facilitate the transition, signaling a US desire to ensure stability in Syria.“Syria has changed more in less than a week than in any week this last half-century,” Blinken told reporters.

“Our message to the Syrian people is this: We want them to succeed and we’re prepared to help them do so.”A focus of his meeting meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan Friday was countering the resurgence of the Islamic State in Syria.Diplomats from the US, the Arab League and Turkey met in Jordan Saturday to discuss Syria’s transition, the Wall Street Journal reported, but no representatives from Syria itself attended those talks.After the meetings, Middle Eastern leaders said in a statement that they agree to “support a peaceful transition process” in Syria “in which all political and social forces are represented.”Blinken also said he “impressed upon everyone” the importance of finding missing American journalist Austin Tice.The freelancer and Marine veteran disappeared in 2012 while covering the Syrian civil war.Tice, 43, hasn’t been heard from since, though his family announced last week that they had intel that he is alive and they have renewed hopes for his return given the changes in Syria.New reporting revealed that Tice was seen twice following his arrest: once in 2013 after briefly escaping captivity and aga...