US envoys head to Switzerland as Lebanon strikes strain Iran talks
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected in Switzerland while Israeli attacks in Lebanon put pressure on US-Iran diplomacy.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
US envoys were expected in Switzerland for talks linked to a proposed US-Iran peace arrangement, as new Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon threatened to complicate the diplomatic push. Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that Iran sees a Lebanon ceasefire as central to the process.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff was traveling to Switzerland on Friday, Axios reported, citing an unnamed US official. CNN reported that the trip came as Washington and Tehran were trying to restart technical discussions that would follow an initial peace deal.
Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, was also expected to take part in the Switzerland talks, CNN reported, citing a US official. Axios reported that Kushner was already in the country.
Vice President JD Vance had earlier been expected to travel, but the White House said late Thursday that his trip had been postponed. No new date has been announced for the US-Iran negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to travel to Switzerland on Saturday, though those plans could change, Axios reported, citing sources. A source from a mediating country told Axios that Araghchi had told several counterparts that Iran considers a ceasefire in Lebanon essential to the diplomatic effort and that it could determine whether the US-Iran talks succeed.
Another source told Axios that Iranian officials want a ceasefire to take hold before they travel to Switzerland.
Israeli attacks reported in southern Lebanon
At least five people were killed in Israeli air strikes and drone attacks in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. The strikes came hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese group, had taken effect.
Lebanon’s state news agency NNA said Saturday that Israeli warplanes and drones struck several locations in the Nabatieh area overnight and into the morning. NNA reported that the attacks destroyed homes and residential buildings, and that Israeli artillery shelled Nabatieh and nearby areas before dawn.
The renewed violence raised doubts over the wider US-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Article 1 of that memorandum says an end to the war in Lebanon is part of the broader ceasefire arrangement across all fronts.
Israel and Lebanon held direct talks in April, their first formal meeting since 1993, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. After that session and another round in June, the two countries announced pauses in fighting.
Those talks have not included Hezbollah, a gap that has limited progress, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Since a November 2024 ceasefire agreement, Lebanon’s government has sought to disarm Hezbollah under a US-backed roadmap while also pressing for Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
An agreement reached in June called for Hezbollah to move north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. It did not require a full Israeli withdrawal.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.