Syrian Intelligence Chief Hussam Luka reportedly participated in meetings with Hezbollah’s Security and Liaison Official Wafiq Safa, alongside officials from Abu Dhabi, particularly Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the national security advisor of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to informed Arab sources.
Luka has long been facilitating meetings in Damascus between Safa and Emirati officials, and it is rumored that these meetings included Sheikh Tahnoon. Reports indicate that discussions focused on the regional situation, in the wake of the war in Gaza which erupted on October 7. The talks focused on the necessity for Hezbollah to engage in a comprehensive settlement plan in the region and to cease its involvement in regional crises, including Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Gaza.
The security officials had many questions about Hezbollah’s position, notably regarding the so-called “support front” for Gaza that the pro-Iran party opened on October 8. They requested clear and definitive answers, stressing the need to halt military operations and to establish a safe zone that would restore stability and pave the way for the return of southern residents to their homes and settlers to their settlements, thereby facilitating the reconstruction of the South.
This step is contingent upon Hezbollah’s response to the American initiative aimed at implementing Resolution 1701 fully.
US Envoy Amos Hochstein had briefed House Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on the initiative, as confirmed by Mikati.
