Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Switzerland according to a source following the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. Israel and Lebanon reached ceasefire following a surge in hostilities that threatened efforts to terasnform the interim deal to end the war into a broader and a more durable Middle East peace accord.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff is headed to Switzerland, where the first round of talks with Iran on a potential nuclear deal is expected to take place. While Witkoff has left for the negotiations, United States President Donald Trump’s son in law and envoy, Jared Kushner, is already in Switzerland, according to sources. Reports reveal, Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani had arrived in Switzerland on Friday itself, ahead of the talks. Qatar has emerged as one of the key mediators between Washington and Tehran.
The development may signal that both sides intend to begin technical negotiations aimed at securing a permanent truce.
As stated by senior officials from both Hezbollah and Israel, the ceasefire took effect around 4 pm (1300 GMT) in Lebanon following an exchange of fire. “If Hezbollah does not attack us, then for us it is not a time of war,” the Israeli official said, adding that Israel would keep its forces in southern Lebanon, where it has occupied an area along its northern border.
Two Lebanese security sources said Israel had carried out a dozen airstrikes in the first hour of the ceasefire, but none were recorded after 5 pm. As per the records by Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli strikes after midnight into Friday had killed 47 people and wounded 97, while the Israeli military said four soldiers had been killed in an incident in Lebanon.