\u201cDo not travel to Lebanon for any reason due to the risk of crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, landmines, and armed conflict,\u201d a State Department advisory said.<\/p>\n
The Federal Aviation Administration said it \u201clooks forward to working with airlines and our interagency partners to implement the President\u2019s directive and support the safe return of flights to Lebanon.\u201d There was no immediate comment from the US Transportation Department.<\/p>\n
Aoun came to Tuesday\u2019s meeting <\/a>aiming to secure US support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, which is tasked with helping disarm Hezbollah.<\/p>\n He has also been pushing for the US to urge Israel to hasten its withdrawal of troops from southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s announcement on the resumption of flights did not mention either of these issues.<\/p>\n \t Direct flights between the US and Lebanon were suspended in 1985 by president Ronald Reagan\u2019s administration following the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Lebanese Islamist terrorists, who brutally killed a US Navy diver and held dozens of US nationals hostage for more than two weeks.<\/p>\n Lebanon currently has one international airport, in south Beirut next to Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold that has been subjected to heavy Israeli bombardment during successive wars, though last month it began moving to convert<\/a> an airbase near the Syrian border to a passenger hub.<\/p>\n Beirut airport has continued to operate during the several Israel-Hezbollah conflicts since 2023, only closing briefly during periods of major escalation.<\/p>\n Lebanon has been forced to repeatedly pursue international guarantees that Israel will not target Beirut airport, which it has previously accused Hezbollah of using to transport money and weapons.<\/p>\n Lebanese authorities have repeatedly denied the Israeli allegations, though Beirut has reportedly conducted a large-scale purge of Hezbollah\u2019s presence at the airport, doing enough to even satisfy Israel and the US, according to US and Lebanese officials.<\/p>\n Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
\t\t\t
\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26202599519562-e1784670359266-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump meets with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office at the White House, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWe can’t do this work alone.\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Untitled-design-4-200x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/334x334-200x200.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n