Report: Lebanese President Declines Trilateral Call with Netanyahu, Rebuffing Trump’s Announcement

Despite public declarations from the United States suggesting an imminent, historic conversation between the leaders of Israel and Lebanon, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has informed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that he will not speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Lebanese news outlet LBCI reports.

The diplomatic confusion unfolded Thursday following a report by Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed that efforts were actively underway to arrange a trilateral phone call between Aoun, Netanyahu, and Rubio to discuss a possible ceasefire between the two nations. Aoun stated earlier today that a ceasefire would be a “natural starting point” for any such talks.

This directly followed remarks made  Wednesday by US President Donald Trump, who publicly touted the prospective call.
“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” President Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform. “It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice! President DJT.”

Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel, a member of the security cabinet, had also indicated that the Prime Minister would be speaking to his Lebanese counterpart, according to Al Jazeera.

However, Israel has thus far not agreed to a ceasefire in its ongoing conflict with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror organization. Netanyahu’s security cabinet convened Wednesday,  but no agreement was reached. In a recent video message, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the primary objective of Israel’s military campaign is to fully “dismantle” Hezbollah.

These high-level developments come on the heels of negotiations held in Washington on Tuesday between Israeli and Lebanese envoys. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli Ambassador to the US, expressed optimism regarding the diplomatic track, noting he was encouraged by a “wonderful exchange” following Tuesday’s talks, even though a ceasefire has not yet materialized.

“The Lebanese government made it very clear that they will no longer be occupied by Hezbollah,” Ambassador Leiter stated. “Iran has been weakened. Hezbollah is dramatically weakened. This is an opportunity.”

Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, spoke with his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri. According to a statement released on Telegram at 2:43 p.m. today, Ghalibaf asserted that a ceasefire in Lebanon is “as important” as one in Iran. Amidst ongoing talks to end the conflict between Iran and the United States, Ghalibaf stated that Tehran has “been striving to compel our enemies to establish a permanent ceasefire in all the conflict zones, in accordance with the agreement.”

On the ground, the IDF continues its operations to neutralize the terror threat. Israeli forces struck targets in southern Lebanon yesterday (Wednesday), resulting in at least 20 fatalities according to Lebanese state media cited by Al Jazeera. Attacks were also reported in the vicinity of Beirut, with strikes hitting the coastal town of Saadiyat and a highway in Jiyeh, located approximately 12 miles from the Lebanese capital.

The IDF has maintained its issuance of evacuation orders for residents in southern Lebanon to ensure civilian safety as it targets entrenched terror infrastructure. Lebanese sources claim that more than 2,000 people in Lebanon have been killed since the current hostilities began.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah terrorists have signaled their total rejection of the diplomatic process. Senior Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa declared that the terror group will not abide by any agreements stemming from the talks.

“As for the outcomes of this negotiation between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy, we are not interested in or concerned with them at all,” Safa said. “We are not bound by what they agree to.”