Trump says he ordered resumption of direct US-Lebanon flights for first time in decades

US president tells Lebanese counterpart he hopes others will again allow direct travel to ‘this beautiful land,’ though it appears highly unlikely American carriers will want to fly there soon

US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he directed his administration to allow US air carriers to fly directly to Lebanon, more than 40 years after such flights were suspended.

Trump delivered the news on his Truth Social network shortly after hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House.

The US president said Aoun “has done a remarkable job working to transform his country” and expressed hope that other countries will follow Washington’s path in resuming direct flights to “this beautiful land.”

Before flights to Lebanon can resume, US officials will need to conduct an extensive security review of the Beirut airport and certify its safety. Even then, it is unclear if American carriers will want to fly into Lebanon in the near future, however, as continuing US-Iran tensions disrupt larger air traffic and questions about Hezbollah’s influence in parts of the country remain.

And despite Trump’s announcement, the US State Department continued to strongly advise against travel to Lebanon due to the security risks involved.

“Do not travel to Lebanon for any reason due to the risk of crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, landmines, and armed conflict,” a State Department advisory said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it “looks forward to working with airlines and our interagency partners to implement the President’s directive and support the safe return of flights to Lebanon.” There was no immediate comment from the US Transportation Department.

Aoun came to Tuesday’s meeting aiming to secure US support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, which is tasked with helping disarm Hezbollah.

He has also been pushing for the US to urge Israel to hasten its withdrawal of troops from southern Lebanon.

Trump’s announcement on the resumption of flights did not mention either of these issues.

Direct flights between the US and Lebanon were suspended in 1985 by president Ronald Reagan’s administration following the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Lebanese Islamist terrorists, who brutally killed a US Navy diver and held dozens of US nationals hostage for more than two weeks.

Lebanon currently has one international airport, in south Beirut next to Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold that has been subjected to heavy Israeli bombardment during successive wars, though last month it began moving to convert an airbase near the Syrian border to a passenger hub.

Beirut airport has continued to operate during the several Israel-Hezbollah conflicts since 2023, only closing briefly during periods of major escalation.

Lebanon has been forced to repeatedly pursue international guarantees that Israel will not target Beirut airport, which it has previously accused Hezbollah of using to transport money and weapons.

Lebanese authorities have repeatedly denied the Israeli allegations, though Beirut has reportedly conducted a large-scale purge of Hezbollah’s presence at the airport, doing enough to even satisfy Israel and the US, according to US and Lebanese officials.

Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.