Syria and Hezbollah Hold Secret Face-to-Face Talks in Türkiye

Syrian officials and Hezbollah representatives met secretly in Türkiye in September to ease tensions and address security disputes, six sources told Reuters.

Turkish security and intelligence agencies invited the delegations, which included officials from Syria’s intelligence services and foreign ministry.

At least one meeting took place, although its location and duration remain unclear, marking the first known face-to-face encounter between the longtime adversaries.

The discussions yielded assurances and progress on security issues, according to sources familiar with the encounter. They did not produce a final agreement.

Assurances on Lebanon

A Syrian official said Damascus assured Hezbollah that it would not send troops into Lebanon to disarm the group.

Both delegations also indicated that they did not regard each other with hostility, the official said.

The assurance addressed a central concern for Hezbollah following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

The group had spent years fighting to preserve his government during Syria’s civil war.

“Hezbollah wants to protect its flank,” a senior Lebanese security source close to the group told Reuters, referring to fears of a Syrian military operation against it inside Lebanon.

The U.S. has encouraged Syria’s military to deploy into Lebanon against Hezbollah, adding to tensions between the Iran-aligned group and the new authorities in Damascus.

Smuggling and Alleged Cells

Syrian officials sought Hezbollah’s help in preventing cross-border smuggling and dismantling what Damascus described as the group’s remaining sleeper cells, particularly in southern Syria.

Hezbollah’s representatives did not directly answer those requests, according to the Syrian official.

They did, however, commit to avoiding interference in Syrian affairs.

The dispute remains unresolved. On Tuesday, Syria announced the capture of an alleged Hezbollah cell that it said was preparing rocket attacks in the south.

Hezbollah rejected the allegation the following day, saying it “has no presence whatsoever on Syrian territory and has no involvement in any security or military activity there.”

Despite those differences, the Lebanese source said the delegations “made a lot of progress on security issues.” Both that source and the Syrian official said no announcement had been planned.

Ankara’s Role, Tehran’s Absence

Three sources said Türkiye pressed for the meeting, seeking a direct role in efforts to reduce tensions.

Ankara is a key ally of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and has sought to facilitate regional dialogue.

Contact through Türkiye began about two months ago, according to the Lebanese source.

Both sides had already expressed willingness to engage: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in July and Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem in August.

Iran knew Hezbollah was attending but did not participate, the Lebanese source said.

Tehran was disappointed by its exclusion and by Sharaa’s rejection, for now, of direct relations with Iran.

The source attributed the absence of a final deal or public announcement primarily to that disappointment.