A statement from Saniora's office said that Bush phoned Saniora at midday Friday (0900GMT) and the premier briefed him on the "gravity of the situation through which Lebanon is passing as a result of the wide-scale aggression to which it is subjected by Israel."

Saniora "urged President Bush to exert all his efforts to pressure Israel to halt its aggression on Lebanon, reach a comprehensive cease-fire and lift the blockade imposed on it," the statement said.

But it appeared that Bush's response fell short of supporting Lebanon's request for a total cease-fire.

"President Bush affirmed his readiness to put pressure on Israel to limit the damage to Lebanon as a result of the current military action, and to spare civilians and innocent people from harm," the statement said.

In Washington, the White House confirmed the call to Saniora, but would not provide details.

The premier also has held a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in which he urged for a U.N. Security Council vote in favor of a ceasefire to end Israel's fiercest attack on Lebanon in decades.

A government source said Saniora spoke with Rice Thursday, hours before the 15-member Security Council convenes on Friday to discuss the Israeli offensive on Lebanon at the government's request.

The premier told Rice that Israel's bombardment of Lebanon has reached all Lebanese territory and damaged vital infrastructure, the source said.

Bush, a close ally of Israel, has backed the Jewish state's right to defend itself and denounced Hizbullah as "a group of terrorists who want to stop the advance of peace."

But he also expressed worries the Israeli assault could cause the fall of Lebanon's anti-Syrian government. "We're concerned about the fragile democracy in Lebanon," Bush said in Germany.

Bush also phoned Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak early Friday to talk about escalating violence in Lebanon and Gaza, Egypt's official news agency reported.

The two leaders "tackled ways to contain the current exploding situation on the Lebanese stage" and violence in the Gaza Strip, it said.

Egypt has played a mediating role in the current escalation between Israel and Hamas officials. Bush's phone call to Mubarak could be an attempt to enlist his help in the Lebanon crisis as well.(AP-Naharnet)