Trump restores direct US-Lebanon flights after 40 years amid peace push

Washington,UPDATED: Jul 22, 2026 01:48 IST

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will allow American airlines to resume direct flights to Lebanon, more than 40 years after the route was suspended. He made the announcement after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, where he also said the US would help Lebanon as it seeks long-term calm after months of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

The meeting came as Washington continues to push for peace in Lebanon, even as a new escalation linked to the war in Iran has added to tensions in the region. Aoun, on a four-day visit to Washington, is seeking Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon and more support for the Lebanese military. His visit was the first by a Lebanese president to the White House since 2009.

Direct flights between the US and Lebanon were suspended in 1985 under President Ronald Reagan after the hijacking of TWA Flight 847. In a social media post, Trump said, "I am hereby directing my Administration to allow all US airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land." During his meeting with Aoun, Trump said Lebanon had been "a very badly treated place and country" and added, "We're gonna help it a lot," without giving details.

Lebanon hopes the talks in Washington will lead to Israeli troops leaving large parts of southern Lebanon that they still occupy, and to greater backing for the Lebanese military to take full control of areas where Hezbollah had long been influential. On whether Israeli forces would fully withdraw, Trump said, "They're in the process of doing that. They're in the process of redeploying," but did not elaborate.

Aoun told Trump, "Your vision is peace," calling it the US president's "legacy". Trump replied jokingly, "I do agree with that," and said Aoun was handsome and "knows how to get to me," adding, "Now he can have anything." Trump also said, "There's a Hezbollah problem," and suggested he could personally speak with Hezbollah if Aoun wanted. He again raised the idea of Syria intervening against Hezbollah, though he did not fully commit to it.

Lebanon and Israel announced a "framework agreement" on June 26 that sets out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw and for Hezbollah to be disarmed, beginning in small pilot zones. The US State Department said on Monday that work had begun in three villages in one pilot zone. Two of them, Froun and Srifa, were not under Israeli military control, while Israeli forces had at one point been in part of the third village, Zawtar al-Gharbieh. The Israeli military said it would "adjust its force posture in one of the pilot areas in order to enable the Lebanese Armed Forces to carry out their mission," without naming the location. The Lebanese army said on Tuesday that it had begun deploying troops in Zawtar al-Gharbieh.

It remained unclear whether Israeli troops had actually withdrawn from any territory on Tuesday. A Lebanese military official said the army was unsure whether Israeli forces had been in Zawtar al-Gharbieh before Tuesday, though they were in nearby areas and would fire on anyone trying to enter. An Israeli military official said its forces had not been in Zawtar al-Gharbieh "for quite a time" and added, "we didn't withdraw from there." Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military rules.

The pilot zone rollout was strained from the start. The Lebanese military said Israeli troops fired near the area where its forces were deploying. The Israeli military said Lebanese soldiers had entered an area outside the pilot zone and that its troops fired warning shots in the air. The Lebanese army disputed that account, saying its soldiers were inside the pilot zone when Israeli troops opened fire. It urged Israel to settle disputes through "established coordination and communication channels, instead of resorting to aggression."

Abed Ezzeldine, the mayor of Zawtar al-Gharbieh, said he was waiting for the Lebanese military to say whether it was safe for displaced residents to return briefly to inspect their homes. "Only to check it out and see how things are and then we will leave," he said. "We can't stay because the infrastructure is completely damaged and houses have been levelled. They (the Israelis) have bulldozed the roads," he added. The Lebanese military had increased its presence in some areas expected to be part of the pilot zone last week, carrying out patrols and setting up checkpoints.

Aoun also met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday. Rubio said Washington would continue to back the Lebanese agreement and support its full implementation. He described the meeting as "very positive" and said Lebanon would "never be fully at peace" unless the Hezbollah issue was resolved. "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. In Lebanon, some fear that any military confrontation with Hezbollah could trigger a civil war, while officials have called for investment in the country's damaged infrastructure to strengthen the state.

Israeli officials have said they plan to keep troops for the long term in a "security zone" in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has rejected the US-brokered direct talks and instead supported Washington's talks with Iran, its main backer, to end their war, including the war in Lebanon. Lebanon's government, which came to power in early 2025 on a reformist platform, has promised to disarm all non-state groups, including Hezbollah, which it blames for drawing the country into another war with Israel in March. At the same time, Beirut has condemned Israel's ground invasion and large air campaign, which has killed more than 4,000 people and displaced 1.2 million others. As talks continue, Lebanon's leadership says Israeli withdrawal and international support for its cash-strapped army are vital for a lasting security solution.

With PTI Inputs

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