Syria denies officials held ‘secret’ talks with Hezbollah in Turkiye

Six sources from Syria, the US and Lebanon told Reuters news agency the reported meeting aimed to calm tensions.

Syria’s Ministry of Information has denied reports that government representatives have held direct talks with Hezbollah in Turkiye.

Reuters news agency said that Syrian officials and the Iran-aligned group met secretly in September. Reuters said they spoke to six sources, including two Syrian officials, a United States official and a senior Lebanese security source close to Hezbollah.

The ministry said on its official X account Thursday that the “claims are false. No such meeting took place”.

Turkiye, which reportedly brokered the meeting, also denied that it took place. The Turkish government labelled the claim as “baseless” in a statement on X on Thursday.

Tensions between Syria’s new leadership and Hezbollah run deep. The Iran-backed Lebanese political party fought for years to defend Bashar al-Assad’s regime, engaging in bloody clashes with al-Nusra Front, the insurgent faction formerly led by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Reuters claims

The meeting was the first to be reported between the longtime foes and involved Hezbollah representatives, Syrian intelligence and Foreign Ministry officials.

Reuters said that sources spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the meeting.

Reuters reported the meeting took place at the invitation of Turkish security and intelligence agencies in an effort to de-escalate regional tensions.

According to the news organisation, a Syrian official said both sides agreed they harboured no mutual hostility, with Syria assuring Hezbollah that it would not intervene militarily in Lebanon to disarm the group which is fighting Israel in southern Lebanon.

Syrian officials asked Hezbollah to help stop cross-border smuggling attempts and dismantle its remaining sleeper cells, particularly in southern Syria, the Syrian official said.

The reported meeting focused on resolving tensions between the two sides, and sources said it went well.

A Lebanese source told Reuters that contact between the two parties via Turkiye had begun about two months ago.

Reuters could not confirm where in Turkiye the September meeting was held, how long it lasted and whether other meetings had been held before or since.

Both Hezbollah and Syria’s government had signalled they would be open to discussions.

In July, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus was open to meeting the group. A month later, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said in a televised address that the group had no objection to meeting Syria’s leadership.

Three of the sources told Reuters it was Turkiye, a key ally of the Syrian president, that pushed for the meeting.