President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he would make it easier for Americans to visit Lebanon via direct flights – despite the fact that the State Department has a Level 4 “Do not travel” warning on the country.
For more than four decades, Americans have been prohibited from flying directly to Lebanon as a result of a 17-day hostage situation that arose from the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847, which was taken to Lebanon capital of Beirut and not its scheduled San Diego destination.
But after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House Tuesday, Trump unexpectedly announced the change to the travel policy on Truth Social.
“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!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
It comes amid a tense moment for Lebanon, which has been embroiled in violent conflict with Israel for months. The two countries have been in negotiations to try and end the conflict, though moments of fighting have resumed.
The U.S. is in the middle of brokering a plan to transfer control of Israeli-occupied areas back to Lebanon. However, Tuesday, Israeli forces fired shots near Lebanese Army troops.
Though Trump announced the U.S. would fly directly to Lebanon Tuesday, it’s unclear when the flights will actually begin.
The Independent has asked the White House for comment.
Given the intense fighting occurring in the Middle East, in part due to the U.S. and Iran reigniting war, it’s unlikely U.S. carriers will want to fly into Lebanon anytime soon.
The State Department also put Lebanon under a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” warning in February and the Federal Aviation Administration has cautioned all flights operating in airspace within 200 nautical miles of Damascus, Syria, due to fighting.
Americans are strongly cautioned to remain out of Lebanon due to the risk of crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, landmines and armed conflict.
Trump’s decision to reverse the years-long direct flight ban appears to be a step toward normalizing relations between the U.S. and Lebanon amid widespread conflict in the Middle East. The U.S. and Lebanon have a relatively close relationship, though Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group that functions as a separate political party within Lebanon, has complicated it.
It was Hezbollah’s actions more than four decades ago that led the United States to suspend all flights to Lebanon.
Approximately 41 years ago, Hezbollah hijacked TWA Flight 847, which was flying from Cairo to San Diego, and diverted the plane to Beirut and Algeria while holding passengers hostage for 17 days.
Of the 153 passengers on board, 91 were Americans. One person, 23-year-old U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem, was fatally shot. The ordeal only ended when Israel released Lebanese prisioners allowing all the hostages to go free.
