President Trump is reopening an air link that the US cut more than 40 years ago. Trump said on Tuesday that he has ordered his administration to permit direct commercial flights between the United States and Lebanon, rolling back an FAA ban imposed after the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Hezbollah, when a US Navy sailor was killed, per the New York Times. Announcing the move on his social media platform after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Trump framed it as a convenience for American travelers and praised Lebanon as a "beautiful land," without referencing the hijacking or security concerns that drove the original ban.
Key details remain unsettled: There's no timeline for when the FAA will formally lift the restriction, and US airlines haven't said whether they'll actually schedule routes to Beirut. The AP notes it's "highly unlikely" that any airlines will want to imminently schedule routes to Lebanon, considering the Iran war that's currently being waged and causing turmoil in the Middle East. The FAA said it will coordinate with carriers and other agencies to "support the safe return of flights," per the Times.
The shift comes as Washington tries to broker an Israeli withdrawal from parts of Lebanon while war with Iran grinds on, and as Hezbollah—armed and backed by Tehran—rejects a US-supported peace track that would see it disarmed. Trump said he's willing to "speak to Hezbollah," especially if Aoun asks. "I will speak to people that a lot of people think I shouldn't be speaking to and things work out," Trump noted. Newsweek has more on the development, including whether there will be sufficient demand to put these flights in place.
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