A Hezbollah supporter holds up a poster bearing the photo of the party's former secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, during the 2nd anniversary of his assassination, on Sept. 27, 2026, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
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According to six sources cited by Reuters, representatives of the new Syrian authorities and Hezbollah secretly met in Turkey last September in an attempt to ease tensions between the two sides. At least one meeting was reportedly initiated by Turkish security and intelligence services. These talks, which were exclusively about security issues and not diplomatic ones, brought together Syrian officials and representatives of Hezbollah, according to information from L’Orient-Le Jour.
Damascus, however, denies that any such meetings took place. The Syrian Ministry of Information called this information “false,” stating on its English-language X account that “no such meeting has taken place.” Hezbollah, which fought alongside ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has not commented on the matter.
Why it matters
These discussions between Damascus and Hezbollah come as tensions remain high between the new Syrian authorities and Hezbollah. They are especially significant as they follow Damascus’s announcement of dismantling, in southern Syria, a cell said to be affiliated with Hezbollah and accused of plotting attacks. Hezbollah categorically denies any links to this cell and claims to have no military or security presence in Syria.
A new escalation cannot be ruled out, as Israel has multiplied its strikes and incursions into Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently mentioned possible attacks against his country before the parliamentary elections on Oct. 27.
What to watch
The incident involving the flydubai flight from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv continues to make headlines, with many questions still unanswered, and all kinds of rumors and conspiracies flooding the internet. Netanyahu claims the co-pilot, suspected of assaulting the captain mid-flight, had been “indoctrinated by radical Islamism,” alleging the man shouted “kill me” and attempted to crash the plane. Earlier, the prime minister did not rule out possible psychiatric issues. Israel says it is in contact with Saudi authorities, who are interrogating the suspect. Riyadh has yet to make a public statement, and U.S. President Donald Trump has remained cautious, mentioning the possibility that the co-pilot is “maybe a terrorist or a madman.”
In other news
- U.S. withdrawal from Iraq hailed by Hezbollah and Iran: Hezbollah congratulated Baghdad on what it called a “great historic success and victory ... after more than two decades of invasion and occupation, terrorism, hegemony, tyranny, and oppression against the Iraqi people.” Iran's Revolutionary Guard also praised the U.S. withdrawal as a “historic victory.”
- Riad Salameh: €37 million in assets seized. The lawyers for former Bank of Lebanon (BDL) Governor Riad Salameh have challenged before the Paris Court of Appeal the jurisdiction of the French courts to seize assets abroad, sources close to the case told AFP. The seizures, carried out in the United Kingdom and Belgium, involve assets linked to Salameh and his relatives amounting to €37 million, according to one source. The investigative chamber will deliver its decision on Nov. 26.
- Lebanese agriculture at the center of discussions. Beth Bechdol, deputy director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is currently visiting Lebanon. During a meeting with the director, President Joseph Aoun called to “support farmers whose lands have been damaged or who have been unable to access and harvest their crops” because of the war between Hezbollah and Israel and the Israeli occupation in the south. For her part, Bechdol presented several programs and projects implemented by the organization in Lebanon.
- At the Syrian border, the Lebanese army seizes 245 kg of TNT. The Lebanese Army announced it had seized about 245 kg of TNT, four explosive devices and eight detonators during an operation Thursday on Lebanon's northern and eastern borders. According to its statement, the explosives were being smuggled from Syria into Lebanon. The smugglers fled toward Syria when an army patrol arrived. The competent authorities have been notified, and operations are underway to identify and arrest those involved.
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