Reuters, citing six sources, reported that representatives of the Syrian government and the Lebanese movement Hezbollah had held direct talks in Turkey. According to the agency, it was the first meeting of its kind, aimed at reducing tensions between the sides. However, Syria’s Foreign Ministry told the Syria Now platform that it denied reports that such meetings had taken place in Turkey.
According to the sources—including two Syrian officials, a U.S. representative and a senior Lebanese security official close to Hezbollah—the sides had met secretly at least once last month. Representatives of Hezbollah, along with Syrian intelligence officers and officials from Syria’s Foreign Ministry, took part in the meeting. It was organized at the invitation of Turkish security and intelligence agencies and was viewed as an attempt to ease tensions.
All the sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter concerned a sensitive meeting that had not previously been reported. Syria’s Foreign Ministry, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry, and the U.S. State Department did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment; Hezbollah’s press office declined to comment. Thus, the information has not yet been officially confirmed, and the parties have not publicly acknowledged it.
Full version: Damascus Denies.. Reuters: Talks Between Syrian Officials and Hezbollah in Turkey