US President Donald Trump has lifted decades-old restrictions on flights between the US and Lebanon, removing a major obstacle to restoring direct air links.
Mr Trump said restrictions imposed under four presidential determinations issued in 1985, 1992, 1998 and 2007 were “no longer necessary” to ensure the security of aircraft.
He signed the decision on September 30 and it was published in the Federal Register.
It follows a meeting between Mr Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House in July, during which Mr Aoun requested that the restrictions be lifted.
Mr Aoun welcomed the move, describing it as “a sign of confidence in the measures taken by the Lebanese state to guarantee the security of civil aviation”.
He thanked Mr Trump for responding favourably to his request, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for following up on the matter.
Mr Aoun also reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to international civil aviation security standards and expressed hope that the decision would strengthen co-operation between Beirut and Washington.
Lebanese ambassador to Washington, Nada Mouawad, also welcomed the decision, saying it “opens the door to the resumption of direct flights between Lebanon and the United States”.
The restrictions were introduced in 1985 by the administration of president Ronald Reagan after the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by alleged Hezbollah militants.
The flight, travelling from Athens to Rome, was forced to land in Beirut. The hijackers killed a US Navy diver aboard the plane during the subsequent 17-day hostage crisis.
Subsequent US administrations gradually eased the restrictions. In 1992, foreign carriers were permitted to transport cargo to Lebanon. In 1998, ticket sales to Lebanon and flights with stopovers were authorised, while a 2007 decision granted exemptions to certain American carriers operating under contracts with the US government.
The measures continued to prevent the restoration of direct commercial air links between the two countries.
Mr Trump's decision revokes all four presidential determinations and directs the US Secretary of Transportation to implement the change immediately, including by removing any conflicting regulations, rules or orders.
However, the lifting of the restrictions does not mean direct commercial flights between the US and Lebanon will resume immediately.