In recent months, Lebanese Diplomacy has achieved a series of political, security, and cultural gains, signaling the state’s renewed use of negotiation, law, and institutions to secure progress for Lebanon.
Ambassador Simon Karam, alongside Lebanon’s Ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, led the negotiation track launched in Rome. Their efforts helped establish a mechanism that enabled the Lebanese Army to return to areas in the south, paved the way for residents to return home, and opened the door to completing the Israeli withdrawal through a state-led negotiating framework.
Lebanese diplomacy also recorded a new achievement at UNESCO. Ambassador Hind Darwish, Head of Lebanon’s Permanent Delegation to the organization, worked with the Ministry of Culture, led by Minister Ghassan Salamé, and the Directorate General of Antiquities to secure consensus for placing the five castles of Jabal Amel on both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. This gives the sites international protection and creates opportunities for technical and financial support to restore the damage they sustained during the war.
This achievement reflects a diplomatic path that is becoming increasingly visible. Through negotiations, the state has made progress on the southern front, while international institutions have been used to protect part of Lebanon’s cultural heritage. While the war left behind deaths, destruction, and damage to historic sites, diplomacy continues to secure gains in Lebanon’s interest, from its land to its heritage.
