UPDATE | Syria’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied reports that government officials had been in contact with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, saying Damascus communicates exclusively with Lebanon’s 'legitimate' state institutions.

“There is no truth to reports of contacts with Hezbollah,” the ministry said.

It added that Syria respects Lebanon’s 'sovereignty' and called for the Lebanese state to exercise full authority across the country.

The statement followed a Reuters report on Thursday that Syrian government officials and representatives of Hezbollah had held secret face-to-face talks in Turkiye last month in an effort to reduce tensions between the two sides.