Lead:
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with regional leaders in New York, including Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, to emphasize Lebanese sovereignty and state control over defense decisions. The meetings occurred as Israel escalated military operations in southern Lebanon, complicating ceasefire negotiations. Salam also announced a major artificial intelligence training initiative with Emirati backing, signaling confidence in Lebanon's institutional capacity despite regional instability.
Details:
According to Al-Nahaar, Prime Minister Salam held separate meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York, conveying a consistent message: future relations must respect Lebanese sovereignty, and decisions regarding weapons, war, and peace must remain exclusively in state hands. These discussions signal Salam's effort to balance engagement with major regional actors while asserting Lebanon's independent decision-making authority—a critical position as the country navigates pressures from multiple geopolitical camps.
Simultaneously, Al-Nahaar reported that Israeli military forces intensified operations in southern Lebanon, with the village of Al-Mansouri experiencing over 200 explosions and approximately 80 percent of residential structures destroyed. The escalation underscores the precarious security environment alongside diplomatic efforts, suggesting that military developments may outpace negotiation timelines.
In a separate initiative, Salam and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed announced the "One Million Lebanese Experts in Artificial Intelligence" program during their New York meeting. The initiative aims to train one million Lebanese citizens in artificial intelligence skills, representing an economic development commitment that assumes relative political stability and renewed state capacity—a signal of international confidence in the Salam government's direction despite regional turbulence.
Al-Nahaar also covered reports regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to New York for an address to the UN General Assembly, with uncertainty surrounding whether President Donald Trump would grant Netanyahu a formal meeting. The question of diplomatic engagement at that level carries symbolic weight for regional negotiation dynamics.
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