World
Mother of an American journalist imprisoned in Syria sees hope following news of Travis Timmerman's release
The mother of American journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012, voiced hope on Sunday that upheaval in Syria will lead to freedom for her son.
Debra Tice said news that Missouri resident Travis Timmerman had been freed from a Syrian prison by rebels felt “like a rehearsal.” Her children woke her up when images of Timmerman began circulating on social media misidentifying him as Tice.
Asked if Timmerman’s misidentification was a moment of false hope, Debra Tice instead characterized it as a moment of joy to be shared. Timmerman has said he had traveled into Syria for a spiritual mission earlier this year and was arrested for entering the country illegally.
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Austin Tice, who worked as a freelance reporter for the Washington Post and McClatchy, was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in 2012. His mother (pictured) voiced hope Sunday that Syria’s upheaval will lead to her son’s freedom. (Evelyn Hockstein)
“It was almost like having a rehearsal … an inkling of what it’s really going to feel like when it is Austin walking free,” she told NBC television’s “Meet the Press”.
Tice is the focus of a massive search following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week after 13 years of civil war. Rebels, led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have released thousands of people from prisons in Damascus where Assad held political opponents, ordinary civilians and foreigners.
A week after Assad’s ouster, some U.S. officials fear that Tice could have been killed during a recent round of Israeli airstrikes. Officials are also concerned that if Tice was being held underground in a cell, he may have run out of breathable air as Assad’s forces shut off the electricity in many of the prisons in Damascus before the president fled.
Debra Tice said the news of Travis Timmerman’s recent prison release from Syria has given her newfound hope that her son Austin Tice will walk free. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call)
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Asked whether the U.S. government should be looking for Tice on the ground in Syria, Debra Tice was cautious, expressing gratitude for efforts by journalists and other civilians on the ground searching for him, including from the organization Hostage Aid Worldwide.
“The U.S. government has made the decision that they’re not going into Damascus. So, my feeling is, if they don’t want to be there, they shouldn’t be there. And the people that are there are the people that are determined,” she said.
Tice, who worked as a freelance reporter for the Washington Post and McClatchy, was one of the first U.S. journalists to make it into Syria after the outbreak of the civil war.
Debra Tice holds a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington on May 2, 2023. (Evelyn Hockstein)
In August 2012, during fighting in Aleppo, he was taken captive.
Weeks later, a YouTube video was published showing Tice blindfolded, hands tied behind his back. He was led up a hill by armed men in what appeared to be Afghan garb and shouting “God is great” in an apparent bid to blame Islamist rebels for his capture, although the video only gained attention when it was posted on a Facebook page associated with Assad supporters.
On Friday, Reuters was first to report that in 2013 Tice, a former Marine, managed to slip out of his cell and was seen moving between houses in the streets of Damascus’ upscale Mazzeh neighborhood.
France is gearing up to host a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” ahead of this year’s 14 July celebrations, with at least 25 heads of state or government due to meet in Paris on Monday to discuss support for Ukraine.
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Created in Paris and jointly led with the United Kingdom, the coalition has now expanded to include 37 countries, meeting both in person and via video conference. Two new members, Moldova and North Macedonia, are scheduled to take part in Monday’s meeting for the first time.
Meeting at the Hôtel des Invalides, the allies will aim to “strengthen,” according to the French presidency, a renewed sense of unity and cooperation in support of Ukraine, which was reaffirmed at the recent G7 summit in Évian and at the NATO summit in Ankara, where allies committed to sending €70 billion in military aid to Kyiv in 2026.
The objective is to show that Western allies are continuing their support for Ukraine and that Moscow cannot rely on “war fatigue,” according to an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Coalition leaders will focus on air defence cooperation, including newly announced US plans for the licensed production of Patriot missiles in Ukraine. They will also discuss the creation of an anti-ballistic missile system.
As for security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a hypothetical ceasefire, the French presidency says that plans to deploy a multinational force, stationed away from the front lines, are “ready”. They remain, however, “subject to change”, given that the prospect of an end to hostilities still appears distant.
Beyond the presence of troops on the ground, these guarantees would be based on “legally binding” bilateral agreements and on US involvement in monitoring a ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to be in Paris on both Monday and Tuesday.
Bastille Day parade
The meeting is set to take place on the eve of France’s annual Bastille Day celebrations.
The Élysée Palace has said that this year’s parade will bring together nearly 6,800 service personnel, with 15% more troops than last year and a 30% increase in the number of vehicles and aircraft taking part.
In total, nearly 500 service members representing the countries of the Coalition of the Willing are expected to lead the parade.
The French military’s aerial acrobatics team, the Patrouille de France, is also expected to take part, accompanied by two Mirage fighter jets carrying Ukrainian co-pilots trained in France. German, British, Croatian, Danish, Spanish, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, and Swedish aircraft are also set to feature in the parade.
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The Toronto Police Service is investigating after gunfire broke out Saturday night at a large Latin street festival in Midtown Toronto, leaving at least two people dead and four others wounded.
Police said they received reports of a shooting at St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue at 8:12 p.m. local time and discovered an active shooter situation.
First responders found six people suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said. Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)
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It is unclear what led to the shooting, and authorities said suspect(s) are still “outstanding.” No arrests have been made as of Saturday evening, police said.
Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said during a news conference there seemed to be an “exchange of gunfire” between two individuals targeting each other.
“This is a very chaotic scene,” he said. “I think we had something in the neighborhood of 13,000 people participating in this festival.”
Police initially described the incident as an active shooter situation before later determining that was not the case.
Police officers stand guard at the site of a deadly shooting at a salsa-themed street festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 11, 2026. (REUTERS/Cole Burston)
“There was some concern of an active shooter. That turned out not to be the case,” Barredo said.
Barredo said authorities were managing three separate crime scenes connected to the shooting. Two firearms have been recovered, he added.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “horrified” by the shooting.
“My prayers are with the families grieving their loved ones, those who are in critical condition, and everyone who has been affected by this horrific event,” he said in a statement.
“My thanks to the police officers and other first responders whose courage and fast action prevented further tragedy,” he continued. “Police have my full support as they work to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Paramedics respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto, Saturday. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)
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Following the shooting, the Toronto Transit Commission suspended train stops at the nearby St. Clair West station on Line 1 Yonge-University due to what officials described as a “security incident.”
Regular transit service has since resumed.
Authorities urged the public to avoid the area and follow all directives from police at the scene.
The TD Salsa on St. Clair Festival, Toronto’s biggest Latin culture celebration, was celebrating its 22nd annual event in Toronto’s Hillcrest Village.
Emergency Task Force vehicles and police officers are seen on the site of a shooting in Toronto on Saturday. (Jorge UZON / AFP via Getty Images)
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The Toronto Police Service told Fox News Digital no further information is available.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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