Trump announces direct US flights to Lebanon after meeting President Aoun
Washington DC, July 22
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday directed his administration to allow American airline carriers to "fly directly" to Lebanon and expressed optimism that other countries would take the same initiative.
He announced in a post on Truth Social shortly after his bilateral meeting with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun.
Trump lauded the leadership of Aoun in transforming Lebanon and said that direct flights to the country would see Americans visit the "beautiful land" and expressed optimism that other countries would follow suit.
He wrote, "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. Hopefully, other Countries will do the same. Enjoy!"
Meanwhile, during his meeting with President Auon at the Oval Office, President Trump recalled that the two leaders had been in touch and spoken on several occasions through representatives, as he termed the ties "very good."
He told the reporters, "I think that Lebanon has been a very mistreated country for a long period of time. It's an amazing group of people- professors, doctors, lawyers, great intellectuals and it has been hard for many, many decades... We're going to help it a lot."
Detailing the strategy regarding Hezbollah, President Trump said he and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun would be discussing "concrete plans" for the US to help Lebanon oust the group.
"We'll be speaking about that today with your president, and we have some very concrete plans already in store for that, with others going in and helping. But they're also becoming much more self-sufficient, and we will be speaking about that," Trump said.
When asked about regional normalisation efforts, the US President praised the scope of the Middle East peace frameworks and signalled that more nations could soon join the Abraham Accords.
"The Abraham Accords have been, I think, a tremendous success. I think you're going to see a lot of countries joining pretty soon. As you know, we have our original group, and it's so successful for them... I think Lebanon has a very important place," Trump remarked.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As someone who has visited Lebanon, it really is a beautiful country with wonderful people. But the situation with Hezbollah is complicated. I hope this leads to more stability, not more conflict. The Abraham Accords have been positive so far, so let's see. 🤞
Trump praising Lebanon's intellectuals reminded me of our own diaspora there. Many Indians work in Lebanon - in healthcare, education, business. Direct flights could help our people too. But I'm skeptical about the "concrete plans" to oust Hezbollah - that sounds like a recipe for instability.
Finally some good news for Lebanon! The country has been through so much. I remember visiting Beirut before the crisis - stunning architecture, amazing food, friendly people. Direct flights will definitely help revive tourism and the economy. Hope other countries follow suit soon. 🛫🇱🇧
Trump's strategy seems to be using economic carrots while preparing military sticks. Direct flights sound nice, but the real test will be whether Lebanon can actually reform. We've seen how difficult that is in our own region. At least he's acknowledging Lebanon's educated population - that's something.
I'm cautiously optimistic. The Abraham Accords have been a bright spot in Middle East diplomacy. If Lebanon can somehow normalize relations and reduce Hezbollah's influence, it could be a game-changer for the region. But that's a big "if." Let's see what concrete plans actually emerge.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.