Trump wants US airlines to add direct flights to Lebanon

President Trump on Tuesday reauthorized US airlines to sell tickets for direct flights to Lebanon, following his White House meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. 

The move marks a departure from a more than 40-year ban on direct flights to the country after Hezbollah terrorists hijacked TWA Flight 847 in 1985. 

“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,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post.

“Hopefully, other Countries will do the same,” he added. 

During the White House meeting with Aoun, Trump said Lebanon had been “very badly treated” and said the U.S. would have it “properly treated and treated with the respect it deserves.”

Aoun touted the president’s remarks as a “vision” for peace, as people in Lebanon remain subject to conflict and violence. 

Hezbollah’s stronghold on the nation is under threat from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), who breached a security zone buffer between Lebanon. 

Soldiers remained stationed there and have led assaults on southern Beirut in an effort to get the Iran backed proxy to retreat. 

Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement backed by the US last month to launch a joint effort to weed out Hezbollah. 

The Lebanese army sent soldiers to Zawtar al-Gharbieh, where Israeli forces are also present, on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said measures to restrict Hezbollah are crucial, while acknowledging that Lebanon will “never be fully at peace” with the terrorist proxy’s continued presence. 

“How do you replace Hezbollah? You defeat and replace them with a government that is strong enough to be the sole force of arms in the country,” Rubio said, per AP.

However, attacks on Hezbollah have posed a challenge for Trump’s attempts to end the war in Iran. 

All parties previously agreed to uphold a ceasefire in both Iran and Lebanon, which Tehran’s leaders said was supposed to include a pause in strikes on Hezbollah. 

Israel’s assaults continued during that period, leading Iran to accuse the U.S. of violating the ceasefire, which ultimately sparked a renewed war in the Middle East. 

As a result, Iran and the U.S. have exchanged strikes on land and in the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran has retaliated with strikes on U.S. assets in Kuwait and Jordan. 

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