The Lebanese government, in an unprecedented move, reached out to the United States to request direct talks between Israel and Lebanon to negotiate a ceasefire out of fear that Israel’s actions against Hezbollah will cause widespread destruction, Axios reported Monday. The reception to the request by both Israel and the U.S. was decidedly cool: Both appear to agree that the time for negotiations has long since passed.

The U.S. expressed frustration at Lebanon’s reluctance to act against Hezbollah. “The Lebanese government was warned and warned and warned this would happen if they don’t take action against Hezbollah,” an unnamed U.S. official said.

Hezbollah joined Iran in striking Israel on the second day of the joint U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran, triggering a strong Israeli response that included air strikes against Hezbollah targets and a ground incursion. The southern part of the country has largely emptied out in response to Israeli evacuation orders, resulting in the exodus of about 600,000 people.

Reportedly, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri were furious that Hezbollah joined the war, having secured a promise that the terrorist group would sit this one out. As a result, Lebanon took the unprecedented step of banning the militant wing of Hezbollah and ordering the deportation of officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

However, the military has not complied with these demands, either because it won’t or because it can’t, further inflaming tensions between Aoun and Lebanon’s top military commander, Gen. Rodolphe Haykal. This has, in turn, angered Washington, which said that Aoun must replace the general.

Meanwhile, Lebanon lacks a liaison to the United States. Tom Barrack serves as envoy to Syria and Iraq and has only been somewhat involved with Lebanon. He has been blunt about ceasefire negotiations. “Stop with the b*llshit,” he told Lebanese officials, saying that if Hezbollah does not disarm, there is nothing to discuss. A source close to Barrack said, “If it’s not real action about Hezbollah’s weapons, there’s no point.”

Morgan Ortagus, who had previously served as Lebanon’s main point person, left her post in January, and Michel Issa, who took over, has only limited access to top-ranking U.S. decision-makers. As a result, American leadership on Lebanon has taken a back seat while the situation escalates.

As for Israel, after years of Hezbollah terror along its border, its goal now is not ceasefire negotiations but to remove the threat from Hezbollah forever.