Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has repeatedly ruled out direct talks or a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu absent a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, return of displaced persons, and reconstruction commitments. US-mediated bilateral negotiations on a ceasefire framework remain stalled, with the next round postponed until October, while Israeli operations against Hezbollah positions continue. Aoun’s public statements emphasize that any leader-level contact is premature and that he would reject a shared forum under current conditions. These positions, alongside domestic constraints in Beirut and ongoing security tensions, shape trader assessments of near-term prospects for a phone call or in-person exchange.