President Trump has authorized U.S. airlines to resume flights to Lebanon after a decades-long ban. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, the president praised the leadership of Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and announced that his administration would allow U.S. travel directly into 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,” President Trump said. “Hopefully, other Countries will do the same. Enjoy!”
President Trump’s decision to resume flights to Lebanon followed a meeting with President Aoun at the White House. The Trump administration has worked for months to strengthen relations with Lebanon and mediate negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, amid ongoing Israeli attacks targeting Hezbollah.
During the meeting, Trump indicated he and President Aoun were working in cooperation to address the ongoing issue and to reduce the presence of Hezbollah in the region. “As you know, there’s a Hezbollah problem,” President Trump said. “But we’ve done some things that I think the world will take notice.”
The U.S. travel policy reversed by the president’s decision has been in place since the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, when flights to Lebanon were suspended following the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.
Flight 847 was scheduled to travel from Athens, Greece to Rome, Italy. On June 14, 1985, the plane was hijacked by terrorists who forced the pilot to fly back and forth across the Mediterranean over a period of 17 days.
During the ordeal, the 153 passengers and crew members suffered brutal abuse from the terrorists, including being beaten and threatened. The attack resulted in the shooting and death of one passenger, U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem. The plane landed in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, three times before eventually stopping.
The decision carries on the policy of the Trump administration to resume travel to countries following shifting geopolitical circumstances. In January, President Trump similarly lifted a ban on passenger travel to Venezuela following a successful U.S. military incursion into the country, which resulted in the capture and arrest of Nicolas Maduro.
President Aoun thanked the Trump administration for its diplomatic efforts and for its support of Lebanon.
