Trump open to talks with Hezbollah, ‘if the president wants me to’

Joseph Aoun’s trip marked the first official visit to the White House by a Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is open to holding talks with Hezbollah if Lebanese President Joseph Aoun believes such a meeting would be beneficial. Additionally, he encouraged airlines to resume flights to Lebanon for the first time in 40 years.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he would not rule out engaging with the Iran-backed terrorist group if asked to do so by the Lebanese president.

“I would speak to Hezbollah. I speak to everybody. I’ll speak to people that a lot of people think I shouldn’t be speaking to, and things work out,” Trump said.

He added: “If the president wanted me to speak to Hezbollah, I would.”

Aoun’s trip marked the first official visit to the White House by a Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years.

The two leaders also discussed proposals aimed at reducing Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanon, including plans to disarm the group and create “pilot zones” where Hezbollah would have no presence. Those areas would be secured by the Lebanese Armed Forces.

When asked whether the United States would play a role in disarming Hezbollah, Trump did not directly say whether Washington would provide assistance.

“We have some very concrete plans already in store for that. Others [may be] going in and helping, but [Lebanon is] also becoming much more self-sufficient,” he said.

Trump announced that he had instructed his administration to authorize the resumption of direct commercial flights between the United States and Lebanon, ending a suspension that has been in place for more than four decades.

He made the announcement on Truth Social shortly after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House.

In the post, Trump praised Aoun, saying he “has done a remarkable job working to transform his country,” and voiced hope that other nations would join the United States in restoring direct air service to “this beautiful land.”