After Reuters Report, Syrian Foreign Ministry Denies Meeting with Hezbollah in Turkey

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied rumors regarding a meeting between Syrian officials and Hezbollah, confirming that communication with the Lebanese side takes place exclusively through the official and legitimate institutions of both countries.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its support for the extension of the Lebanese state's control over all its territory.

Sources had previously told Reuters agency that representatives from the Syrian government and Hezbollah held direct talks in Turkey in an attempt to ease tensions between the two sides, marking the first known meeting of its kind between the parties.

The sources, which included two Syrian officials, a US official, and a senior Lebanese security source close to Hezbollah, told Reuters that Syrian officials and Hezbollah representatives met secretly at least once last month.

The six sources told Reuters that "the meeting last month included representatives from Hezbollah and officials from the intelligence services and the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was convened at the invitation of Turkish security and intelligence agencies in an attempt to de-escalate."

All sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the "sensitive" meeting, which had not been reported on before.

In this context, the US official, the two Syrian officials, and the Lebanese source stated that "the meeting focused on resolving points of tension between the two parties and went well."

One of the Syrian officials noted that both sides "agreed that there is no enmity between them, and Syria assured Hezbollah that it would not intervene militarily in Lebanon to disarm it."