Exclusive-Syrian government officials and Hezbollah held secret talks in Turkey, sources say

Syrian government representatives and Hezbollah, a Lebanese terror group with ties to Iran, met in secret in Turkey to discuss easing tensions between the two parties, according to multiple sources. The face-to-face talks, which took place at the invitation of Turkish security agencies, were reportedly the first of their kind between the longtime adversaries.

The meeting, which took place last month, involved officials from Syria's foreign ministry, Turkey's foreign and defense ministries, and a US official. Sources briefed on the meeting told Reuters that the discussions went well and that both sides agreed to put aside their hostility. Syria pledged not to intervene militarily in Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah and asked the group to help stop cross-border smuggling attempts and dismantle sleeper cells in southern Syria.

Hezbollah denied participating in the meeting and claimed it had no presence in Syria. The Lebanese source, who has direct knowledge of the meeting, said the two sides made significant progress on security issues, but no final agreement was reached. Both sides acknowledged making progress on security matters, but no announcement was made following the meeting.

Turkey, a key ally of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, is believed to have pushed for the meeting in an effort to facilitate regional dialogue and boost stability in the region. Iran was not present at the meeting, as it was reportedly disappointed that the group was not directly involved and that Syria had rebuffed any notion of direct ties to Iran.