US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had directed his administration to allow all US airlines to operate direct flights to Lebanon, following his meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

US flights were suspended in 1985 after the hijacking of a TWA flight during Flight 847 from Athens to Rome and forced landing in Beirut. A US Navy diver was brutally killed during the 17-day crisis.

Before resuming flights to Lebanon, US officials will need to conduct a comprehensive security review of Beirut airport and ensure its safety. It remains unclear whether US airlines will be willing to resume their flights.

Major US airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, have suspended flights to Tel Aviv, citing security concerns. The Federal Aviation Administration said it 'looks forward to working with airlines and its government agency partners to implement the president's directives and support a safe return of flights to Lebanon.'

The US State Department currently issues a travel advisory for Americans against traveling to Lebanon, citing rising tensions in the Middle East. In February, the US government ordered its non-emergency employees and their families to leave Lebanon due to security risks.

Trump ordered the Transportation Department to lift a ban on passenger air services to Venezuela in January, after the United States arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a military operation earlier that month.

Service resumed in late April after seven years with an American Airlines flight from Miami to Caracas.