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Aoun spoke with Rubio and made clear he would not engage in a direct conversation with Netanyahu.
By United with Israel Staff
President Donald Trump ignited expectations of a rare diplomatic breakthrough on Thursday, saying Israeli and Lebanese leaders were set to speak directly “for the first time in decades” in an effort to create “a little breathing room” between the two sides.
Lebanese officials quickly pushed back. A senior Lebanese official told Reuters there was no information regarding any planned call between President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Subsequent reports pointed to ongoing U.S. efforts behind the scenes. Lebanese outlet Al-Modon reported that Aoun had cleared his schedule, fueling expectations that a call could still take place.
The report said the conversation could involve U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as part of a broader push to broker de-escalation.
Qatari outlet Al-Araby reported that Rubio was expected to urge Aoun to include Netanyahu in a three-way call, with some regional reports suggesting a ceasefire announcement could be tied to such a conversation.
Later reports indicated that contact did take place, but without Israeli participation.
According to Lebanese networks LBCI and MTV, Aoun spoke with Rubio and made clear he would not engage in a direct conversation with Netanyahu.
The developments follow meetings in Washington earlier this week, where Israeli and Lebanese envoys held rare direct talks hosted by Rubio.
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, struck an optimistic tone after the two-hour meeting, calling it “a victory for sanity, for responsibility, and for peace.”
He said the most significant outcome was a shared understanding, adding, “We discovered today that we’re on the same side of the equation. We are both united in liberating Lebanon from an occupation power dominated by Iran called Hezbollah.”
The latest developments suggest that while diplomatic momentum is building behind the scenes, significant political barriers remain to any direct Israel-Lebanon engagement.
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