Trump, Rubio speak to Lebanon's president amid push for Aoun-Netanyahu call

BEIRUT/WASHINGTON — In a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed his appreciation for Washington’s efforts to reach a ceasefire in the country.

According to a statement from the Lebanese presidency, Rubio said he would continue efforts to achieve a ceasefire “as a prelude to establishing peace, security and stability in Lebanon.”

Aoun and US President Donald Trump held a separate call on Thursday, according to Asharq News.

Al-Monitor has reached out to the White House and State Department for comment.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform late Wednesday that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon were planning to speak on Thursday. 

He wrote, "Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice! President DJT." 

However, according to sources cited by the local LBCI channel, Aoun informed Rubio during their phone call that he would not speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

As the Israeli military continues its campaign in Lebanon against Hezbollah, Aoun has insisted that a ceasefire precede any negotiations with Israel. 

“The ceasefire requested by Lebanon with Israel is the natural starting point for direct negotiations between the two countries,” Aoun said in a statement released Thursday ahead of the Rubio call. He reiterated that the Lebanese state is the sole party responsible for conducting such negotiations.

Facing ongoing Hezbollah attacks, Israel has said it will continue fighting the Iran-backed group until it is defanged and residents of northern Israel can live in peace.

“We are conducting negotiations with Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a statement earlier on Thursday. “In the negotiations with Lebanon, there are two central goals: first, the disarming of Hezbollah, and second, a sustainable peace. Peace through strength.”

The flurry of calls took place two days after a meeting in Washington at the State Department between Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh, for talks aimed at laying the groundwork for direct negotiations, the first direct exchange between the two sides in decades.

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the Hezbollah-allied Shiite Amal party, has reportedly dispatched parliament member Ali Hassan Khalil to Saudi Arabia to meet with Prince Yazid bin Farhan, the Saudi official responsible for the Lebanese file.

The visit highlights Saudi Arabia’s involvement in Lebanon, where it aims to ease internal tensions between state authorities and the pro-Hezbollah camp.

Afterward, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on Telegram Thursday that he spoke with Berri over the phone and conveyed that Tehran has “been striving to compel our enemies to establish a permanent ceasefire in all the conflict zones.”

He said he also told his Lebanese counterpart that for Tehran, “a ceasefire in Lebanon is just as important as a ceasefire in Iran.” The Islamic Republic has said that the longevity of the ceasefire with the US is contingent on Israel stopping its attacks in Lebanon. 

This developing story has been updated since initial publication.