Source: Assad confirmed Austin Tice abduction; driver allegedly handed him to Syrian forces

A source claims former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad personally confirmed the abduction of American journalist Austin Tice, and that Tice's driver handed him over to Syrian forces. The claim is unverified and based on a single source, but if true, it would resolve a decade-long mystery and implicate the Syrian state directly. The development matters as it could affect US-Syria relations and ongoing efforts to locate Tice.