US Ambassador to Switzerland, Israel’s attack on Lebanon threatens negotiations | Story

US reporters say Witkoff and Kushner are preparing for talks with Iran after talks were suspended on Thursday.

The US delegation and Iran’s foreign minister are expected to be in Switzerland for talks to promote a peace deal, but Israel’s increasing attacks on Lebanon are putting pressure on the deal.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, went to Switzerland, US media reported on Friday, after negotiations between the US and Iran were suspended.

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Witkoff was on a trip to the Alpine country on Friday, Axios said, citing an unnamed US official, while CNN reported that his visit comes as Washington and Iran are working to discuss technical issues that follow the first peace agreement to “return”.

Trump’s ambassador Jared Kushner is also expected to be in Switzerland for the talks, CNN reported, citing a US official. Axios reported that they already were.

Vice President JD Vance was originally expected to travel but canceled his trip, the White House announced late Thursday.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to travel to Switzerland on Saturday, although those plans may change, according to Axios.

Citing a source from one of the mediating countries, the report also said that Araghchi told several colleagues that Iran considers the ceasefire in Lebanon to be politically important and that it could “make or break” US-Iran talks.

Another source said Iranian officials want to see a ceasefire before going to Switzerland.

No new hearing date has been announced.

Five people have been killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon

Although the news from Switzerland spread, at least five people were killed by Israeli aircraft and a drone in southern Lebanon, a few hours after the cessation of hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah group supported by Iran.

The state news agency NNA on Saturday reported that Israeli warplanes and drones carried out several strikes in the Nabatieh area overnight and into Saturday morning, destroying houses and buildings, while Israeli artillery shelled Nabatieh and its outskirts before dawn.

The attack comes after Israel and Hezbollah announced a further ceasefire in Lebanon, threatening to derail the US-Iran ceasefire agreement (MoU).

Article 1 of the MoU clearly states that the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon is an integral part of the cessation of hostilities in all areas.

Israel and Lebanon held their first talks in April, the first time the two countries have met since 1993.

After the meeting and the negotiations that followed in June, Israel and Lebanon declared a ceasefire.

However, the talks did not include Hezbollah, which is hindering any progress.

Following a cease-fire agreement reached in November 2024, the Lebanese government has been seeking to disarm Hezbollah as part of a US-backed roadblock. The Lebanese government has also forced Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon.

However, the terms of the agreement reached in June asked Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon but did not ask Israel to withdraw completely.