The White House is set to allow US airlines to fly to Beirut for the first time in decades, but experts say the move is more about politics than planes as Washington creates new openings for Lebanon's battered economy.

Trump says U.S. airlines will fly to Beirut after meeting with Lebanon's president amid State Department's travel advisory for Americans.

Trump unexpectedly announced he would allow US carriers to fly directly to Lebanon, ending a more than 40-year ban