The Syrian government on Thursday denied an earlier Reuters report that Ankara had hosted a meeting between Syria and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah was a key backer of the Assad regime and is seen as an adversary by the current government in Damascus.
Turkey backs Damascus, but it likely wants to reduce tensions between Syria and Hezbollah to calm the situation in Lebanon or prevent the outbreak of other clashes.
“These claims are false. No such meeting took place,” the Syrian government posted on X/Twitter.
The Syrian government had met with Hezbollah for “face-to-face talks in Turkey to try to calm tensions between them, according to six sources briefed on the first known meeting between the longtime foes,” Reuters reported.
The report comes amid many challenges in Syria. For instance, an explosion has affected a Syrian power site.
IDF destroys Hezbollah tunnel inAli Taher ridge, September 10, 2026. (credit: Documentation on social networks accoring to Section 27A of the Copyright law via Walla)
“Syrian authorities began restoring operations at one of three power plants knocked offline after a gas pipeline explosion east of Damascus on Wednesday night, days after another pipeline blast in eastern Syria that authorities blamed on sabotage,’ Reuters reported. “The explosion struck a gas line at the Tishreen Thermal Power Plant in the eastern Damascus countryside, cutting supplies needed to operate the Tishreen, Deir Ali and Nasiriyah power stations, according to the Syrian Electricity Company.”
Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Syria’s official news agency, reported: “Technical teams have started re-pressurizing the Arab Gas Pipeline between Adra and Deir Ali, paving the way for the Deir Ali plant to return to service in stages, the ministry said. The pipeline and surrounding area will remain under technical monitoring during the restart.”
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said the fire at Tishreen had been brought under control, the report said.
Officials discussed mutual security concerns, sources say
Syria busted an ISIS cell in the Yarmouk Basin over the past week, but there have been clashes with an ISIS cell south of Damascus in Sanamayn. This shows how many threats Syria faces. It is not clear if Hezbollah cells may also be involved in sabotage in Syria.
Turkey may have trouble advancing a deal with Damascus and Hezbollah. It was unclear why sources in Turkey would say a meeting took place, or what the agenda of the sources might be.
Who would benefit from making this information public? It would likely increase tensions with Israel if it appears Damascus is meeting with Hezbollah. Israel already is suspicious of Ankara’s role in Syria.
Some officials in Jerusalem tend to portray Turkey as a “Sunni” power that wants to work with the Sunni Arab leaders of Syria and other Sunni countries, such as Saudi Arabia. Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed Shi’ite group. Therefore, any meeting would not dovetail with the portrayal of a “Sunni” alliance.
It has long been believed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps maintains contact with the Muslim Brotherhood, even though Iran is a Shi’ite regime and the Muslim Brotherhood is a Sunni organization.
Syria’s denial indicates how sensitive this issue is in Damascus. Syria has met with the Russians, who backed the Assad regime, and tried to work out deals with them to prevent tensions with Moscow. As such, Damascus has pursued pragmatic policies.
In the past, US President Donald Trump has suggested Syria might help disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon. Syria occupied parts of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005.
Syria’s government has said in the past it has no interest in operating in Lebanon. It has at times said it broke up Hezbollah cells operating in Syria.