Trump says US airlines can now fly to Lebanon for first time since 1985

US President Donald Trump has directed the government to allow domestic airlines to fly directly to Lebanon, ending a 37-year suspension following a 1985 hijacking incident.

President Donald Trump ​said on Tuesday, after meeting ‌with Lebanon's ​President Joseph Aoun, that he was directing the U.S. government to allow all domestic airline carriers to fly directly ‌to that country. All U.S. flights were suspended in 1985 after the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 from Athens, Greece, en route to Rome, Italy. The flight was forced to ‌land in Beirut. During the 17-day ordeal, a U.S. Navy diver was killed. Before ‌flights to Lebanon could resume, U.S. officials will need to conduct an extensive security review of the Beirut airport and certify its safety. It was unclear if U.S. airlines would be willing to resume ⁠flights. The ​major U.S. airlines, American ⁠Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, have halted flights to nearby Tel Aviv, citing security concerns. The ⁠FAA said it "looks forward to working with airlines and our interagency partners to implement the ​President’s directive and support the safe return of flights to Lebanon." The U.S. State ⁠Department currently has a "Do Not Travel" advisory for Lebanon for Americans, citing high tensions in the Middle East. ⁠In ​February, the government ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and family members to leave Lebanon, due to safety risks. Trump ordered the U.S. Transportation Department to lift a ⁠ban on U.S. passenger air service to Venezuela in January after the U.S. captured the country's president, ⁠Nicolas Maduro, ⁠in a military operation that month. Service resumed in late April after seven years, with an American Airlines flight from Miami to Caracas.