Syrian government and Hezbollah held secret talks in Turkey - report
Representatives of Syria's government and Hezbollah held their first known face-to-face talks in Turkey last month, seeking to de-escalate tensions between the longtime foes
Representatives of the Syrian government and Hezbollah met secretly in Turkey last month in an attempt to calm tensions between the two sides, according to six sources, including two Syrian officials, a US official and a senior Lebanese security source close to Hezbollah who spoke to Reuters. The meeting, which took place at the invitation of Turkish security and intelligence agencies, involved Hezbollah representatives and Syrian intelligence and foreign ministry officials.
Hezbollah sent fighters to Syria for years to defend former President Bashar al-Assad during the civil war. Tensions rose between Hezbollah and Syria's new government after Assad was kicked out, with Damascus accusing the terror group of transferring arms through Syrian territory.
According to a Syrian official, both sides agreed they held no hostility toward one another, and Syria assured Hezbollah it would not intervene militarily in Lebanon to disarm the group. In return, Syrian officials asked Hezbollah to help stop cross-border smuggling and dismantle its remaining sleeper cells, particularly in southern Syria.
The official said Hezbollah did not give a direct answer on halting arms smuggling or dismantling its Syria-based cells, but pledged not to interfere in Syria's internal affairs.
The request comes after Syria said Tuesday it had captured a Hezbollah cell preparing to launch rockets from southern Syria, an allegation Hezbollah denied.
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A Lebanese security source with direct knowledge of the meeting said the two sides "made a lot of progress on security issues," adding that "Hezbollah wants to protect its flank," a reference to concerns about a Syrian attack on the group within Lebanon.
Notably absent from the talks was Hezbollah's main sponsor, Iran. According to the Lebanese security source, Hezbollah attended with Iran's knowledge, but Tehran was disappointed it was not a direct participant, and Sharaa had rebuffed any notion of direct ties with Iran for now.
The source said that disappointment was the main reason no final agreement or announcement resulted from the meeting.