Representatives of Syria’s interim government and Lebanon’s Hezbollah held face-to-face talks in Turkey at least once last month to try to calm tensions between the longtime adversaries, according to six people briefed on what would be the first known meeting between the sides since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in late 2024.
The sources, who include two Syrian officials, a U.S. official and a senior Lebanese security figure close to Hezbollah, said Turkish intelligence and security agencies hosted the session as part of a quiet push to keep a fragile regional truce from unraveling. Hezbollah’s media office declined to comment when Reuters asked about the meeting; Syria’s foreign ministry and Turkey’s foreign and defense ministries did not immediately respond to questions.
What the meeting was meant to fix
Relations between Damascus and the Iran-aligned militant group have frayed since Assad’s fall. Syria’s new leadership has accused Hezbollah of moving weapons through Syrian territory, while Washington has encouraged Syrian forces to press Hezbollah inside Lebanon. The Turkish-hosted conversation focused on specific friction points rather than a broad political accord, the sources said.
According to the U.S. official and the Syrian and Lebanese figures, the exchange “went well” in the sense that both delegations stayed at the table and mapped issues for follow-up. None of the sources described a signed agreement or a public roadmap. One Syrian official said intelligence and foreign ministry staff represented Damascus; Hezbollah sent political representatives rather than field commanders, the Lebanese source added.
Denial in public, diplomacy in private
After Reuters published its account, Syria’s English-language government account on X said “these claims are false,” without elaborating. The denial underscored how sensitive any contact remains for a Syrian administration that is trying to consolidate domestic legitimacy while managing suspicion from Israel, Gulf states and Syrian communities that suffered under years of Assad–Hezbollah cooperation.
Turkey’s role fits a pattern Ankara has used elsewhere in the Levant: offering a neutral venue when U.S.- and Iran-aligned actors cannot meet openly. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government maintains ties with both Damascus and groups backed by Tehran, even as it keeps troops in northern Syria and negotiates with Russia over security zones.
Why Washington is watching
For the Trump administration, the talks pose a tactical question. U.S. officials have backed Syria’s military moves against Hezbollah in Lebanon while still treating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization subject to sanctions. A Syrian channel that reduces cross-border arms flows without requiring U.S. mediation could ease pressure on Israeli northern-border operations, the U.S. official said, but could also complicate efforts to isolate Iran’s proxies if Damascus is seen as cutting side deals.
The meeting took place against a wider backdrop of Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Iranian involvement in the war with Israel, and Syria’s struggle to control militias that flourished under the old regime. None of the sources linked the Turkey session directly to ceasefire talks involving Gaza or Lebanon’s Blue Line, but they said Turkish hosts framed the discussion as preventive diplomacy before winter campaigning seasons resume.
What comes next
It remains unclear whether another round is scheduled. Two sources said Turkish officials asked both sides to nominate permanent contacts; a third cautioned that Hezbollah’s leadership is preoccupied with rebuilding command structures after months of Israeli attacks. Syria’s priority, according to one Damascus official, is stopping unauthorized transit of rockets and drones across the Bekaa Valley corridor without triggering an open break with Tehran.
Public denials may continue even if back-channel work proceeds. That was the pattern during Assad’s rule, when Syria and Hezbollah coordinated openly in war but denied intelligence sharing when it suited domestic audiences. The difference now is a Syrian government that must answer to constituencies that blame Hezbollah for deepening the country’s isolation. Whether Turkey can turn a single meeting into sustained de-escalation will depend on whether those constituencies—and Hezbollah’s Iranian patrons—see more risk in talking than in fighting.