Syria-Hezbollah secret talks in Türkiye to ease tensions: Report

Representatives of the Syrian government and Lebanon's Hezbollah held secret face-to-face talks in Türkiye last month in an effort to ease tensions between the former allies, according to six sources cited by Reuters.

The reported meeting would be the first known direct contact between Damascus and Hezbollah since President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024. The talks involved Syrian intelligence and Foreign Ministry officials and Hezbollah representatives and were held at the invitation of Turkish security and intelligence agencies, the sources said.

The meeting reportedly focused on security concerns between the two sides. A Syrian official told Reuters that Damascus assured Hezbollah it would not intervene militarily in Lebanon to disarm the group.

In return, Syrian officials asked Hezbollah to help stop cross-border arms smuggling and dismantle what Damascus described as remaining Hezbollah sleeper cells in southern Syria. The Hezbollah representatives did not give a direct response to the demands, according to the source, but pledged not to interfere in Syria's internal affairs.

A Lebanese security source familiar with the meeting said the two sides had made significant progress on security issues, but no final agreement was reached and no public announcement had been planned.

The reported talks come amid sharply strained relations between Damascus and Hezbollah. The group had fought alongside Assad's forces during Syria's civil war, while Syria's new government has accused Hezbollah of transferring weapons through Syrian territory.

The talks were reportedly encouraged by Türkiye, which has emerged as a key supporter of Syria's new government and has sought a role in regional diplomacy. Iran, Hezbollah's main backer, was not directly represented at the meeting, although sources said the group attended with Tehran's knowledge. A Lebanese security source said Iran was disappointed that it had not been directly involved.

However, Damascus has denied that the meeting took place. Syria's Foreign Media Department said on Thursday that reports of such a meeting were false. Türkiye has also rejected the Reuters account, describing reports that its intelligence service brokered the meeting as unfounded.

Reuters said its account was based on six sources briefed on the meeting, including two Syrian officials, a US official and a senior Lebanese security source close to Hezbollah. The agency said it could not independently confirm where in Türkiye the meeting took place or whether additional meetings were held.