Trump says direct flights from US to Lebanon will resume after 40 years

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said U.S. airline carriers will once again be able to fly directly to Lebanon, 40 years after the federal government banned all direct flights to the country. 

“After meeting with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, who has done a remarkable job working to transform his Country, I am hereby directing my Administration to allow all U.S. airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Hopefully, other Countries will do the same.”

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The Federal Aviation Administration first placed restrictions on flights to Lebanon in 1985 after a Trans World Airlines flight was hijacked while en route to Beirut, where an American passenger was fatally shot by a hijaker.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration hopes the return of direct flights to Lebanon will encourage more U.S. and international investment into the country.