WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump directed the administration to allow all US airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon on Tuesday. The directive followed a meeting at the White House with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Aoun is the first Lebanese head of state to visit the White House in nearly 20 years. During the talks, Trump and Aoun discussed plans to disarm Hezbollah and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.

“It’s been a very badly treated place and country, and we’re going to have it properly treated and treated with respect that it deserves,” Trump said. He also stated, “There’s a Hizbullah problem.”

“This will be your legacy,” Aoun said. “Together, we will be able to achieve this objective.” He added, “It’s about time for Lebanon and the whole region to be stable and secure.”

Lebanese army troops began taking control of territory vacated by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. Israeli troops occupy a swath of southern Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese remain displaced following Israeli strikes. Hezbollah rejected the Lebanese government’s direct talks with Israel and efforts by the Lebanese state to disarm it.

Aoun met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Sunday. Aoun had arrived in the Washington, DC, area on Saturday. “President Aoun will be able to return to Lebanon and say to the people of Lebanon that he is the one that’s getting positive results for the people – all Lebanese, including Christians, Sunni, and Shia, and Bedouin and Druze – all the people of a very diverse country – not Hezbollah, not Iran,” Rubio said. He also stated, “He is the legitimate government, he is who we’re going to work with and that government is the government that should be in charge of that country.”

US passenger flights to Lebanon were suspended in 1985 following the hijacking of TWA Flight 847. The plane was hijacked while traveling from Athens, Greece, to Rome, Italy, and was forced to land in Beirut. A US Navy diver was killed during the 17-day ordeal.

The US-Lebanon-Israel agreement was brokered on June 26. It aims to disarm Hezbollah, see a progressive Israeli troop withdrawal, and set the stage for peaceful ties between Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah is a Shiite group founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982. Israel’s 2024 offensive against Hezbollah and the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have waned Hezbollah's influence.

The US State Department announced the establishment of the first pilot zones in South Lebanon on Monday. The framework envisions pilot zones as areas free of Hezbollah military presence where the Lebanese Armed Forces ensure they are the sole military force. The US-Lebanon-Israel framework conditions Israeli withdrawal on the disarmament of Hezbollah.

In the framework, Lebanon recognizes Israel. The framework commits Lebanon not to pursue accountability for Israeli abuses at international courts or the UN. The framework states, Israel and Lebanon commit to take good faith measures that demonstrate positive intent, including the cessation of all hostile or adverse actions in international political or legal fora.

Trump suggested that Syria may have a role to play in disarming Hezbollah. “Well, it’s a concept,” Trump said. He said he would be willing to speak with Hezbollah’s leaders if Aoun thought doing so would be helpful.

Aoun called for direct talks with Israel. He criticized Hezbollah for starting the war. He said Lebanon was being destroyed for the sake of Iran.

He stopped short of agreeing to Trump’s call for him to meet Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Lebanon’s health ministry stated that Israel’s air and ground campaign has killed more than 4,300 people. Hezbollah fired at Israel on March 2 in support of Iran. Iran came under US and Israeli attack on February 28. Hezbollah stated that it will not abide by the US-Lebanon-Israel framework.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz hailed the progress Israel’s military has made in annihilating towns. “It was clear that the Shia villages on the contact line had to disappear,” Katz said.