US President Donald Trump on Wednesday promised a phone call the following day between Israeli and Lebanese leaders, but a Lebanese report on Thursday appeared to throw cold water on the likelihood of such a conversation.

The diplomatic efforts came amid US attempts to build on talks held in Washington this week to end fighting between Israel and Lebanon and pave the way for a larger peace deal, while Beirut continued to insist on a ceasefire as a precondition for any discussions.

Despite the efforts, the IDF continued to strike Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon throughout Thursday, while the terror group fired rockets and drones at a wide swath of northern Israel.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun spoke Thursday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was reportedly seeking to facilitate the call between Aoun and Netanyahu.

According to the Lebanese outlet LBCI, Aoun informed Rubio that he would not speak with Netanyahu.

That came after Trump said late Wednesday night that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon were set to speak directly on the following day.

“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!” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.

In fact, no sitting leaders of Israel and Lebanon have publicly spoken in the history of the two countries.

Lebanon is believed to be demanding a ceasefire before agreeing to hold such high-level engagement with Israel, but Jerusalem has to date been holding out on agreeing to one, as it seeks to continue degrading Hezbollah’s military capabilities.

The security cabinet discussed a potential Lebanon ceasefire during a meeting on Wednesday night, but the session reportedly ended without a decision.

Speaking earlier Thursday, Aoun once again stressed the importance of reaching a ceasefire before any direct 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.

Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel said during a radio interview Thursday that a Netanyahu-Aoun call was expected later that day.

“The prime minister will speak for the first time with the president of Lebanon after so many years of a total disconnect in the dialogue between the two states, and this move will hopefully, in the end, lead to prosperity,” she said.

The Lebanese outlet Al-Jadeed reported........

© The Times of Israel