Turkey Mediates Secret Talks Between Syrian Government and Hezbollah

Representatives from the Syrian government and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have held secret, face-to-face meetings in Turkey to de-escalate growing tensions, according to multiple sources. The historic encounter marks the first known direct dialogue between the long-standing allies following the sudden overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces in late 2024. Organized at the invitation of Turkish security and intelligence agencies, the talks were aimed at resolving emerging security disputes along the border.

Tensions between the two factions have intensified sharply after Damascus accused Hezbollah of transferring weapons through Syrian territory, while the United States actively encouraged Syria’s military to deploy troops toward Lebanon. To address the deteriorating relationship, high-level Hezbollah representatives met secretly with Syrian intelligence and foreign ministry officials last month. According to two Syrian officials, a U.S. official, and a Lebanese security official, both parties agreed during the dialogue that they held no mutual hostility moving forward.

During the negotiations, Syria provided explicit safety reassurances, confirming it would not intervene militarily to disarm the Lebanese movement. In exchange, Damascus formally requested Hezbollah’s cooperation in curbing cross-border arms smuggling and dismantling its remaining covert networks within Syria, particularly in southern regions. Although Hezbollah representatives pledged not to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs, a Syrian official noted that they refrained from providing a direct response regarding the dismantling of cells or stopping weapons smuggling.

Despite the report, official channels from both sides swiftly issued public denials regarding the encounter. The Turkish Presidential Communications Directorate described the claims on social media as completely baseless, adding in an official statement, ‘The claims made in these posts regarding the date, location, topics of discussion, and communications have no basis in reality. They are entirely fabricated and speculative’. The Syrian government’s official account echoed this stance, declaring, ‘These claims are false’.

Security friction remains high following Syria’s announcement that it detained a Hezbollah cell preparing rocket launches in the south. Hezbollah strongly rejected the claim, asserting it has ‘no presence whatsoever’ on Syrian soil. However, a Lebanese security official close to Hezbollah confirmed that the confidential talks achieved significant progress on critical border security matters, emphasizing, ‘Hezbollah wants to secure its rear’ to prevent potential Syrian military action or cross-border strikes launched from inside Lebanese territory.

Source: Reuters