Reported Syria–Hezbollah Talks in Turkey; Ankara and Damascus Deny Meeting

Reuters-sourced reports on October 1, 2026 said Syrian intelligence and foreign ministry officials held the first known face-to-face talks with Hezbollah representatives in Turkey, at the invitation of Turkish security agencies. Sources said Syria assured Hezbollah it would not intervene militarily in Lebanon to disarm it, and asked it to curb cross-border smuggling and dismantle sleeper cells in southern Syria; Hezbollah reportedly gave no direct answer but pledged not to interfere in Syria's internal affairs. The Turkish Presidency's communications directorate called the report 'entirely unfounded' and the Syrian government's English-language X account denied any meeting took place.