Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has repeatedly and publicly ruled out any direct meeting or phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing ongoing Israeli military operations and territorial violations in southern Lebanon as conditions that must first cease. A US-brokered trilateral framework agreement signed in late June 2026 outlines phased Israeli withdrawals from pilot zones, Hezbollah disarmament, Lebanese army deployment, and steps toward normalized relations, following seven rounds of ambassador-level talks in Washington and Rome. US officials under President Trump have pressed for leader-level engagement to accelerate momentum, while Aoun has conditioned any such step on tangible security progress and a full Israeli pullback. Hezbollah has rejected the framework outright. As of late August 2026, official negotiations continue amid persistent cross-border incidents, with Aoun emphasizing diplomacy over renewed war during recent meetings with the Pope, Italian leaders, and domestic groups, though no date for a Netanyahu-Aoun exchange has materialized.