Syria and Hezbollah Hold Secret Talks in Turkey Amid Regional Tensions

Syrian government officials and representatives from Hezbollah held clandestine face-to-face meetings in Turkey last month, facilitated by Turkish intelligence agencies, Reuters reported, citing six sources familiar with the matter. The unprecedented summit aimed to de-escalate rising security tensions between the two parties, which have intensified since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in late 2024 and the rise of Ahmed al-Shar'a's administration.

The discussions, involving Syrian intelligence and foreign ministry personnel alongside senior members of the Lebanese organization, took place against a backdrop of Damascus's accusations that Hezbollah was smuggling weapons and operating terrorist cells within Syria. Simultaneously, the United States was increasing pressure on the Syrian army to deploy forces into Lebanon to combat Hezbollah.

According to the sources, which included two Syrian officials, a senior U.S. administration official, and a Lebanese security source close to Hezbollah, the Turkish talks focused on resolving points of friction and were described as positive. A Syrian official told Reuters that both sides agreed they held no grudges, and Damascus provided assurances that the Syrian army would not militarily intervene in Lebanon to disarm the organization. However, Syria issued a clear demand for Hezbollah to cease weapons smuggling across the border and dismantle its dormant terrorist cells, particularly in southern Syria.

While Hezbollah representatives did not commit to dismantling the cells, they pledged not to interfere in Syria's internal affairs. A senior Lebanese security source involved in the meeting stated that significant progress was made on security issues, explaining Hezbollah's motivation as a desire to "protect its flank" due to fears of a Syrian military attack within Lebanon.

Despite the progress and Turkey's efforts to stabilize the region, the sources clarified that no final agreement has been reached, and no official statement has been issued. A primary reason for the stalemate was Iran's absence from the talks; although Hezbollah attended with Tehran's knowledge, the Iranian regime expressed deep disappointment at not being directly involved, as Syrian President al-Shar'a had rejected any direct engagement with Iran at this stage.