President Donald Trump announced that he is ending a decades-long prohibition on direct commercial flights between the United States and Lebanon, ordering his administration to allow American airlines to resume service following talks at the White House with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Trump revealed the decision in a Truth Social post after meeting with Aoun, praising the Lebanese leader’s efforts to reshape his country and announcing that U.S. carriers will once again be permitted to fly directly to Lebanon.

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The President also applauded Aoun for what he described as a “remarkable job” advancing reforms in Lebanon and urged other nations to reopen direct commercial air service to the country.

Direct flights between the United States and Lebanon have been suspended since 1985, when the U.S. halted commercial service in the aftermath of the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 and amid continuing security concerns during Lebanon’s civil war.

The decision followed discussions between Trump and Aoun centered on expanding cooperation between the two countries, maintaining American support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, and advancing implementation of a recently negotiated framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel that was brokered in Washington.

That agreement, however, is contingent on the complete disarmament of Hezbollah. The Iran-backed terrorist organization has rejected both the framework agreement and the broader peace negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

{Matzav.com}