President Donald Trump instructed his administration to allow all US airlines to operate direct flights to Lebanon, according to a post on X cited by Israeli media. The directive goes further than his earlier recommendation reported minutes ago, as no American carrier has yet resumed flights to Israel.
At 23:01 Jerusalem, a new report from Yair Goldblatt (Security and Middle East channel on X) cites a post on X attributed to President Donald Trump, in which he formally instructs his administration to allow all US airlines to operate direct flights to Lebanon. The post, published Tuesday evening, appears to be the same directive that was first reported by The Zioneer at 22:25 Jerusalem, when multiple bulletins detailed Trump's order, his praise for Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and his encouragement of tourism to Lebanon. A subsequent bulletin at 22:58 Jerusalem summarized the recommendation and noted that no American carrier has resumed flights to Israel due to security concerns.
At 22:25 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published five updates in rapid succession: the initial directive (version 1), Trump's praise for Aoun's 'excellent' work (version 2), his encouragement of tourism (version 3), a confirmation of the directive after his meeting with Aoun (version 4), and a note that no US airline has resumed flights to Israel (version 5). The 22:58 bulletin then focused on the recommendation aspect, highlighting that the post did not include a directive. The current report at 23:01 confirms the formal instruction and attributes it to a post on X, providing specific sourcing from an Israeli media channel.
This development is part of a broader pattern of Trump's engagement with Lebanon. As The Zioneer reported on June 18, Trump called for a full ceasefire including Lebanon, and on June 17, he said Lebanese President Aoun and Prime Minister Netanyahu would soon visit the US. Trump has also warned Iran to halt its proxies in Lebanon and suggested Syria could handle Hezbollah.
The White House has not yet officially confirmed the directive. The exact wording of the post on X has not been independently verified, and it remains unclear whether the instruction will be formalized through FAA regulations or other administrative steps.
4 developments
- DevelopingTrump says he can prevent Israel from striking Lebanon because 'they do as I say'
- DevelopingReport: Trump's sudden turn against Iran seen as opening for Lebanon advance
- DevelopingIsrael reportedly asked by Trump administration to scale back Lebanon operations
- DevelopingTrump reportedly sides with Iran on demand that Israel stop attacking Hezbollah
Source and signal
- Internal intake