Turkey and Syria Deny Secret Talks With Hezbollah
The governments of Turkey and Syria denied reports that Turkish intelligence hosted secret meetings between Syrian officials and Hezbollah to discuss regional security and disarmament.
The Government of Turkey and the Government of Syria have denied reports that Turkish intelligence hosted secret face-to-face talks between Syrian officials and Hezbollah representatives in September. The denials follow reports that the National Intelligence Organization of Turkey facilitated the meetings to de-escalate tensions following the 2024 ousting of Bashar al-Assad.
According to reports, the discussions focused on mutual non-interference. Syria allegedly assured Hezbollah it would not militarily intervene in Lebanon to disarm the group. In exchange, Hezbollah pledged not to interfere in Syrian internal affairs or support groups affiliated with the former government. Syrian officials reportedly requested that Hezbollah dismantle sleeper cells in southern Syria and halt cross-border arms smuggling, though Hezbollah did not provide a direct answer on the sleeper cells.
While some sources suggest an initial ice-breaking meeting occurred in Istanbul last December, no final agreement was reached during the September talks. This failure is attributed to the exclusion of Iran and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's rejection of direct ties to Tehran. The reported talks occurred amid threats from U.S. President Donald Trump that Damascus could be tasked with disarming Hezbollah.
Official responses have been dismissive. The Communications Directorate of the Republic of Turkey described the allegations as entirely unfounded, while the Syrian Information Ministry declared the claims false. Previously, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem had both signaled an openness to dialogue.
