Reuters: Syrian Officials and Hezbollah Held Secret Talks in Türkiye — Damascus and Ankara Deny Meeting

A reported Syria Hezbollah meeting has become the subject of competing accounts after Reuters said Syrian government officials and Hezbollah representatives held secret face-to-face talks in Türkiye in September, while both Damascus and Ankara denied that such a meeting took place.

Reuters said its account was based on six sources briefed on the talks, including two Syrian officials, a U.S. official and a senior Lebanese security source close to Hezbollah. Türkiye described the report as entirely unfounded, while the Syrian government said the claims were false.

Reuters reports first known direct meeting

According to Reuters, Syrian government representatives and Hezbollah officials met secretly at least once in Türkiye during September in what the agency described as the first known face-to-face talks between the two sides since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024.

The sources said Hezbollah representatives and officials from Syrian intelligence and the Foreign Ministry attended the meeting at the invitation of Turkish security and intelligence agencies as part of an effort to reduce tensions.

Reuters said it could not independently confirm where in Türkiye the meeting was held, how long it lasted or whether other meetings had taken place before or since.

What did the sources say was discussed?

The reported talks focused on mutual security concerns, including the Syria-Lebanon border, arms smuggling and activities that Damascus has alleged are linked to Hezbollah inside Syrian territory.

One Syrian official told Reuters that Damascus assured Hezbollah it did not intend to intervene militarily in Lebanon to disarm the group.

The same official said Syrian representatives asked Hezbollah to help stop cross-border smuggling and dismantle what Damascus described as remaining Hezbollah-linked sleeper cells, particularly in southern Syria.

Hezbollah denies security or military presence in Syria

The report came shortly after Syrian authorities said they had captured a Hezbollah-linked cell allegedly preparing to launch rockets in southern Syria.

Hezbollah rejected that accusation, saying it had no presence on Syrian territory and no involvement in security or military activity there.

Reuters reported that Hezbollah representatives did not give a direct response during the alleged meeting to Syrian requests concerning smuggling and cells, but pledged not to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs.

Lebanese source cites progress but no final deal

A senior Lebanese security source described by Reuters as having direct knowledge of the meeting and its outcome said the two sides made progress on security issues.

However, both that source and a Syrian official said no final agreement was reached and no public announcement had been planned.

The Lebanese source also said contact between the two sides through Türkiye had begun around two months earlier.

Türkiye and Syria deny the meeting took place

After the Reuters report was published, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate rejected the account, saying claims that Syrian government and Hezbollah officials met in Türkiye under Turkish intelligence auspices were entirely unfounded.

The Turkish statement said allegations regarding the meeting’s date, venue, content and participants did not reflect reality.

The Syrian government also denied the report. The Foreign Media Directorate of Syria’s Information Ministry said the claims were false and that no such meeting had taken place.

Hezbollah has not commented on the meeting account

Reuters said Hezbollah’s media office declined to comment on questions about the reported meeting.

That is separate from Hezbollah’s denial of allegations concerning cells or military and security activity inside Syria. As of the latest available updates, the group had not issued a comparable public confirmation or denial of Reuters’ account of the Türkiye talks.

Why does Türkiye feature in the Reuters account?

Three Reuters sources said Türkiye had pushed for the meeting as Ankara seeks a significant role in Syrian security and regional diplomacy.

Profile News previously covered Türkiye’s growing role in Syrian security discussions during Hakan Fidan’s visit to Damascus.

Türkiye’s latest denial, however, specifically rejects the claim that Turkish security or intelligence agencies hosted or facilitated a Syria-Hezbollah meeting.

Both sides had previously signaled openness to dialogue

Despite the current official denials, both Damascus and Hezbollah had publicly indicated in recent months that they were open in principle to direct talks.

In July, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus was open to meeting Hezbollah if interests required it. A month later, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the group had no objection to meeting Syria’s leadership.

Two conflicting accounts remain

The central question remains independently unresolved: Reuters says six informed sources confirmed direct talks in Türkiye and provided details of the discussions, while the Syrian and Turkish governments deny that the meeting happened at all.

No formal agreement has been announced, and Reuters said it was unable to independently establish the reported meeting’s precise location or duration.

The significance of the story therefore lies not in a confirmed political agreement, but in the emergence of a detailed account of a possible security channel between two sides whose relationship has been deeply strained since Syria’s political transition — and the categorical official denials challenging that account.

Sources

Reuters — Source-based account of the reported meeting, security discussions and official denials — October 1, 2026.

Anadolu Agency — Official Turkish and Syrian denials of the reported meeting — October 1, 2026.