Trump vows to help Lebanon pursue peace with Israel
The US president also says he will allow direct flights by US airlines to Lebanon for the first time in over 40 years
US President Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to help Lebanon “a lot” as its president, Joseph Aoun, sought Washington’s backing for a fragile effort to disarm Hezbollah and forge a path to peace with Israel.
Aoun, the first Lebanese president invited to Washington since 2009, asked Trump for political support and continued backing for the Lebanese army, which has begun deploying in southern areas under a US-backed framework agreement with Israel.
“We need to support the LAF,” Aoun said, referring to the Lebanese Armed Forces. “Without the LAF, everything will collapse.”
Meeting Aoun at the White House, Trump said Lebanon had been “a very mistreated country” that had been “hit hard” for decades.
“It’s probably a dangerous place in a lot of ways,” Trump told reporters. “But they love the country … and we’re going to help it. We’re going to help it a lot.”
After the talks, Trump said he would authorise the resumption of direct flights by US airlines to Lebanon, which were suspended more than 40 years ago after the 1985 hijacking by Lebanese Islamist militants of a TWA flight with many Americans aboard.