Trump Pledges Massive Help to Lebanon and Clears Path for U.S. Flights After Oval Office Meeting

President Donald Trump sat down with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office on Tuesday, a meeting that felt part diplomatic summit, part friendly chat. Aoun had come to Washington hoping to secure lasting calm after months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah‑backed militants.

“Lebanon has been badly treated for a long time,” Trump said, his voice echoing the sentiment that the country deserved respect. “We’re going to treat it properly and we’re going to help it a lot,” he added, though he stopped short of spelling out the exact numbers or projects.

Just hours after Aoun left the White House, Trump turned to social media and made a headline‑grabbing declaration: all U.S. airlines would once again be allowed to fly directly to Lebanon. The route, suspended in 1985 after the hijacking of TWA Flight 847, has been dormant for more than four decades.

“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,” he wrote, adding a touch of optimism that felt almost nostalgic.

Whether airlines will actually start booking seats anytime soon is another question. The broader Middle‑East theater remains volatile, with Iran’s new war escalation rattling the region and Hezbollah’s influence still a contentious issue in parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the diplomatic dance between Lebanon and Israel continues. On June 26 the two sides unveiled a “framework agreement” that outlined a phased Israeli pull‑back from southern Lebanon and a tentative plan to curb Hezbollah’s militia power. The United States said it had already begun operations in three villages that make up the first pilot zone – Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al‑Gharbieh – although the exact status of Israeli troops in those spots remains murky.

Trump expressed confidence that “they’re in the process of doing that,” referring to Israel’s troop withdrawal, but offered no concrete timetable. President Aoun, for his part, praised the President’s “vision of peace” and called Trump a “great president,” to which Trump replied with a light‑hearted joke about Aoun’s good looks and his ability to “get to me.”

In the meeting, Trump also raised the lingering “Hezbollah problem,” suggesting he could open a channel of communication with the group if the Lebanese leader wanted him to. He floated the notion of Syrian involvement against Hezbollah – a suggestion that would likely ruffle feathers in Beirut and could place Aoun in an awkward spot.

The larger picture remains uncertain. While the announcement of renewed U.S. flights adds a hopeful note, the practicalities of air travel – from safety certifications to insurance concerns – may keep planes grounded for a while. Still, the symbolic gesture underscores a renewed U.S. focus on Lebanon amid a region where attention has often drifted elsewhere.

As Lebanon looks toward a future that could finally see Israeli forces retreat from the south and the Lebanese army assert full control, the world watches to see whether promises translate into on‑the‑ground progress.