Syria and Hezbollah Held Secret Security Talks in Turkey Without Iran
Translated & summarized from Cursorinfo by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Syria and Hezbollah held secret security talks in Turkey in September.
- Iran was excluded from the meeting, despite its historical role.
- Syria demanded Hezbollah stop arms smuggling and internal interference.
- Turkey and Syria have denied reports of the meeting.
- Hezbollah previously rejected disarmament calls.
Syrian and Hezbollah representatives reportedly held secret security talks in Turkey in September, with Iran excluded from the discussions, according to Reuters, citing several sources. The meeting allegedly involved Syrian intelligence, the Foreign Ministry, and Hezbollah officials, with assistance from Turkish security and intelligence services.
The primary focus of the talks was security issues. Syria reportedly demanded that Hezbollah cease using Syrian territory for arms smuggling, dismantle underground structures, and refrain from interfering in Syria's internal affairs. Damascus also indicated it would not launch a military operation in Lebanon to force Hezbollah's disarmament.
Sources claim some progress was made, but no final agreement was reached. The absence of Iran was notable, as Syria under Bashar al-Assad had long facilitated communication between Iran and Hezbollah. One Lebanese source close to Hezbollah stated that Tehran was aware of the planned meeting but was displeased with its exclusion.
Turkish authorities have denied any involvement of their intelligence services in such talks, calling the reports unfounded. The Syrian government has also denied the existence of contacts with Hezbollah.
Previously, Hezbollah rejected disarmament, with its Secretary General Naïm Qassem calling for a change in the format of negotiations with Israel.
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