Jordan Downs Drone from Syria in Third Incident this Month

A picture released by the Jordanian Armed Forces website shows what it said is a drone from Syria that the Jordanian army intercepted and downed on Jordan's side of the border, Jordan July 24, 2023. JORDAN ARMED FORCES/Handout via REUTERS
A picture released by the Jordanian Armed Forces website shows what it said is a drone from Syria that the Jordanian army intercepted and downed on Jordan's side of the border, Jordan July 24, 2023. JORDAN ARMED FORCES/Handout via REUTERS
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Jordan Downs Drone from Syria in Third Incident this Month

A picture released by the Jordanian Armed Forces website shows what it said is a drone from Syria that the Jordanian army intercepted and downed on Jordan's side of the border, Jordan July 24, 2023. JORDAN ARMED FORCES/Handout via REUTERS
A picture released by the Jordanian Armed Forces website shows what it said is a drone from Syria that the Jordanian army intercepted and downed on Jordan's side of the border, Jordan July 24, 2023. JORDAN ARMED FORCES/Handout via REUTERS

The Jordanian army downed a drone heading from Syria in the third such incident this month, it said.

The army said in a statement that the drone was brought down in its territory but did not say what it was carrying.

The Jordanian army published two photos of the downed drones, according to the Arab World Press.



US Journalist Missing in Syria Since 2012 Is Believed to Be Alive, Says Aid Group

A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Journalist Missing in Syria Since 2012 Is Believed to Be Alive, Says Aid Group

A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)

American journalist Austin Tice is believed to be still alive, according to the head of an international aid group.

Nizar Zakka, who runs the Hostage Aid Worldwide organization, said there has never been any proof that Tice, who has been missing since 2012, is dead.

He told reporters in Damascus on Tuesday that Tice was alive in January and being held by the authorities of ousted Bashar al-Assad. He added that US President Joe Biden said in August that Tice was alive.

Zakka said Tice was transferred between security agencies over the past 12 years, including in an area where Iranian-backed fighters were operating.

Asked if it was possible Tice had been taken out of the country, Zakka said Assad most likely kept him in Syria as a potential bargaining chip.

Biden said Dec. 8 that his administration believed Tice was alive and was committed to bringing him home, though he also acknowledged that “we have no direct evidence” of his status.