US President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to help Lebanon “a lot” as its president, Joseph Aoun, sought Washington’s backing for a fragile effort to disarm Hezbollah and forge a path to peace with Israel.

Aoun, the first Lebanese president invited to Washington since 2009, asked Trump for political support and continued backing for the Lebanese army, which has begun deploying in southern areas under a US-backed framework agreement with Israel. “We need to support the LAF,” Aoun said, referring to the Lebanese Armed Forces. “Without the LAF, everything will collapse.”

Meeting Aoun at the White House, Trump said Lebanon had been “a very mistreated country” that had been “hit hard” for decades. “It’s probably a dangerous place in a lot of ways,” Trump told reporters. “But they love the country… and we’re going to help it. We’re going to help it a lot.”

After the talks, Trump said he would authorize the resumption of direct flights by US airlines to Lebanon, which were suspended more than 40 years ago after the 1985 hijacking by Lebanese Islamist militants of a TWA flight with many Americans aboard.

“After meeting with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, who has done a remarkable job working to transform his Country, I am hereby directing my Administration to allow all U.S. airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

On his part, Lebanese President Aoun expressed gratitude for the United States’ support of his country. In a statement, the Lebanese presidency said Aoun wrote in the White House guest book that he felt “deep appreciation for President Trump’s friendship and for the support the United States of America provides to Lebanon, its sovereignty, its legitimate institutions, and the Lebanese Armed Forces”.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam hailed the announcement, saying it “represents a significant opportunity to enhance travel and connectivity between Lebanon and the United States, and to support the Lebanese economy.”

Aoun, a former army commander, said in Washington that the Lebanese military was “the backbone of security and stability” and the country’s most trusted institution.

His office said he had emphasized the “urgent need for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory” as necessary to moving forward with the framework deal.

Asked whether Washington would put additional pressure on Israel to withdraw, Trump said, “We’ll be looking at that.”

Aoun’s visit came as the Lebanese army moved into an area of the south under a deal with Israel aimed at proving Beirut can extend state authority and disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah, which Israel has set as a precondition for ending its occupation.

But in a sign of the fragility of that agreement, the Lebanese army said Israeli troops fired near its soldiers deploying in a so-called “pilot zone” from which Israel is supposed to withdraw.

The “pilot zones” where the Lebanese army is deploying are primarily located just outside territory Israeli forces invaded after Hezbollah opened rocket fire on Israel and drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March. (AFP)