The Communications Directorate has denied reports that Turkey hosted a secret meeting last month between Syrian government officials and representatives of Lebanese Hezbollah.
“Claims circulating in certain international media outlets and on social media platforms alleging that ‘Syrian government officials and Hezbollah officials met in Turkey, hosted by the National Intelligence Organization (MİT)’ are entirely unfounded,” the directorate’s Center for Combatting Disinformation said in a written statement.
“The claims in these posts regarding the date, venue, content and contacts do not reflect any reality and are entirely fabricated and speculative,” it added, urging the public to rely on statements from official authorities.
The Syrian government also denied the report in a statement on its English X account.
The denials came hours after Reuters claimed such a meeting took place at the invitation of Turkish intelligence, citing six unnamed sources, including two Syrian officials, a US official and "a senior Lebanese security source close to Hezbollah."
The report said Damascus had assured Hezbollah it would not intervene militarily in Lebanon to disarm the group, citing a Syrian official.
In recent months, US President Donald Trump has on several occasions suggested a possible Syrian role in efforts to disarm Hezbollah. The Iran-backed group has been in conflict with Israel since 2024, with southern Lebanon, where much of the country’s Shia population lives, suffering extensive destruction.
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Syrian officials also reportedly asked Hezbollah to help prevent cross-border smuggling and dismantle remaining cells in Syria.
While authorities denied that the meeting took place, both the Syrian government and Hebollah had publicly signaled openness to talks. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said in July that Damascus was open to meeting Hezbollah, while Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in August that the group had no objection to talks with Syria’s leadership.
Hezbollah and Syria’s current leadership had been adversaries during the Syrian war. Hezbollah fought for years in support of former President Bashar al-Assad, while groups backed by Turkey fought against Assad forces and allies.
Those opposition forces later came to power after Assad was ousted in late 2024. (VK)
