Trump and Lebanese President Discuss Ceasefire Efforts

BEIRUT -- President Donald Trump spoke by phone with his Lebanese counterpart Thursday, the Lebanese president's office said in a statement, the latest in a flurry of diplomatic efforts to halt the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

U.S. officials have been attempting to build on the direct talks they hosted this week between Lebanon and Israel. After the talks, Israeli and Lebanese officials said that Israel was considering a short-term ceasefire in Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed Hezbollah is based.

Trump's call with Lebanon's president, Joseph Aoun, followed a social media post he made a day earlier saying that Israeli and Lebanese leaders would speak Thursday. Such a call would be historic given that their countries have no diplomatic relations and have technically been at war since 1948.

In his social media post, Trump 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!"

That announcement may have been premature.

Earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Aoun, who turned down a U.S. request to speak by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a Lebanese official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy.

The Lebanese president's office did not make any mention of the American request, but the Trump administration was pressing for a call between the Israeli and Lebanese leaders, two Lebanese officials said. The officials requested anonymity to talk about the behind-the-scenes efforts.

The Israeli prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has threatened to upend the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which is set to expire next week. Iran has repeatedly insisted that the truce be extended to Lebanon, a proposal that the United States and Israel have rejected.

Earlier on Thursday, Aoun said in a statement that he viewed a ceasefire with Israel as "the natural entry point for direct negotiations between the two countries."

The direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington this week were conducted by the countries' ambassadors to the United States. After the discussions, the State Department said that steps had been taken toward further "direct negotiations." Since then, U.S.-led efforts to broker a ceasefire appear to have picked up urgency.

The Israeli government has not yet approved a ceasefire with Lebanon and, even if it did, it is unclear whether Hezbollah would comply. Israel is negotiating only with the Lebanese government, which does not have control over Hezbollah, a group long considered more powerful than Lebanon's own military. Hezbollah has long rejected any direct talks with Israel.

Israel launched its military campaign in Lebanon in early March, days after the United States and Israel began their air campaign against Iran. Hezbollah had fired rockets at northern Israel in solidarity with Iran, its patron. Israel's offensive has expanded into a ground invasion of the country's south, an area that Israeli officials have signaled plans to occupy.

More than 2,100 people have been killed in Lebanon amid the latest conflict, according to the Lebanese authorities, with more than 1 million displaced -- roughly a fifth of the population. At least 13 Israeli soldiers have also been killed, along with two civilians, according to the Israeli authorities.

Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade attacks during the ceasefire with Iran. Despite the diplomatic activity in recent days, Israel's bombardment of southern Lebanon intensified Thursday, with Hezbollah also launching attacks at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.

Israeli strikes destroyed the Qasmiya Bridge over the Litani River on Thursday, according to Lebanon's military. The bridge was the last remaining road link connecting the area to the rest of the country after others were hit by earlier strikes.

An intense wave of Israeli airstrikes was also reported in the southern city of Nabatieh, along with overnight clashes in the southern town of Bint Jbeil between Israeli ground forces and Hezbollah militants, according to Lebanon's state-run news agency. The Israeli military said it had surrounded and advanced through the town in recent days.

Bint Jbeil holds a symbolic significance: In the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, Israeli forces fought a costly battle there with Hezbollah but failed to take control.

If Israeli forces capture the town, it would also give them greater control over the center of the border region.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Copyright 2026 The New York Times Company

This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 11:43 AM.