OMM Redaksiyası
Ankara has denied reports that Turkish intelligence arranged secret talks between Syrian officials and representatives of Hezbollah. The Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications called the claim “completely baseless.”
The directorate’s center for combating disinformation said on Thursday that reports of Syrian government representatives meeting members of the Lebanese group Hezbollah in Türkiye under the auspices of the country’s intelligence service were fabricated. Ankara said details about the alleged meeting’s date, location and participants were inaccurate and urged the public to rely only on official statements.
Reuters reported the same day, citing unnamed sources, that Syrian and Hezbollah representatives had held at least one secret meeting in Türkiye in September. According to the agency, the talks aimed at easing tensions but did not result in an agreement between the sides.
Damascus also denies report
The Syrian government also rejected the Reuters report. According to the state-owned Alikhbariah television channel, Syria’s Information Ministry said: “These claims are false; no such meeting took place.”
Relations between Syria’s new government and Hezbollah have been strained since Bashar al-Assad left power in late 2024. During Syria’s 13-year conflict, Hezbollah fighters were sent to the country to support Assad and his government, a longstanding ally of Iran.
Post-Assad Syrian authorities have accused networks linked to Hezbollah of smuggling weapons and setting up cells in the country. Hezbollah denies the allegations. Türkiye is one of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s main supporters and is seeking to expand its political, security and economic influence in post-conflict Syria.
Ankara backs Saudi Arabia
Separately on Thursday, Türkiye condemned what Riyadh described as a Houthi attack on a power plant supplying electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. The Turkish Foreign Ministry called for such attacks to stop “immediately and unconditionally.”
The ministry said the attacks threatened Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and security and violated Islamic values. It reiterated Ankara’s support for Riyadh and urged the parties to refrain from steps that could further escalate tensions in the region.
Saudi authorities blamed the alleged attack on Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, the Houthis, which has close ties with Iran. The Houthis denied Saudi claims that they had struck Medina or other Islamic holy sites, calling them propaganda. The parties’ statements could not be independently verified.
