Trump says he'll speak to Hezbollah, restores Lebanon flights

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would be willing to engage directly with Hezbollah leadership if requested by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, a significant departure from longstanding U.S. policy toward the Iran-backed group. The announcement came during a bilateral meeting at the White House, which also saw Trump order the restoration of direct commercial flights between the United States and Lebanon for the first time in over four decades.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office alongside President Aoun, Trump stated he would not rule out such discussions. "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 that if Aoun, who has "lived with Hezbollah for a long time," wanted him to speak with the group, he would.

The meeting marked the first official visit to the White House by a Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years. The leaders discussed security cooperation and proposals to reduce Hezbollah's influence in Lebanon, including plans to disarm the group and establish "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah would have no presence. Those...