Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah delivering a speech in May 2022. (Credit: AFP)
Syrian intelligence chief General Houssam Louka reportedly visited Lebanon recently to meet with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. However, Nasrallah allegedly refused to receive him. This claim was made by Syria Television, an opposition Syrian media outlet, on Aug. 14. The outlet suggested that Nasrallah's refusal was due to growing dissatisfaction within Hezbollah over the Assad regime's gradual distancing from Iran, following recommendations from Moscow. According to Syria Television, Russia is attempting to consolidate its influence in Syria by reducing Iran's, particularly since the outbreak of the al-Aqsa Flood and the subsequent conflict, from which Damascus has distanced itself.
The report also stated that Louka had to settle for meetings with Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem and other party figures. The information was echoed and analyzed by Janoubia, a media outlet opposed to Hezbollah. However, when contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, Hezbollah's press office denied the report, calling it baseless and fabricated. "There is nothing to it," said deputy spokesperson Rana Sahili.
Former Deputy Chief of Army Intelligence and ex-Director of General Security Jamil Sayed also denied the report. He noted, "With a Hezbollah liaison officer based in Syria, Louka doesn’t need to travel to Lebanon. Communication and coordination are ongoing at all levels."
The Syrian intelligence chief typically conducts his visits in secrecy. His trips to Beirut, as well as to Saudi Arabia, have usually been kept confidential, with occasional leaks to the media. This was the case in November 2023 when a Lebanese website revealed several visits by Louka to Beirut, where he met with senior Hezbollah commanders to discuss "the importance of maintaining Syria's distance from military developments in the region," particularly the war in Gaza. Similarly, during a stopover in May 2024, he reportedly met with Nasrallah, primarily to discuss the issue of Syrian refugees, according to Syria Television.