Trump envoy, Iran foreign minister head to Switzerland for talks
Rubio plans Middle East trip next week, Axios reports
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is planning a trip to the Middle East next week and is expected to visit Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain, Axios reported on Friday, citing two sources.
Rubio is expected to hold a summit with foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain, Axios reported later, citing a third unidentified source.
The State Department did not immediately respond to an emailed request for confirmation.
Lebanese sources say Israeli airstrikes abated an hour after ceasefire
A senior US official said the ceasefire took effect around 4pm (1300 GMT) in Lebanon following an exchange of fire, adding that negotiators for the US and Qatar had worked out the agreement with help from Iran.
Two sources from Hezbollah and a senior Israeli official confirmed the ceasefire to Reuters.
Two Lebanese security sources said Israel had carried out a dozen airstrikes in the first hour of the ceasefire but none were recorded after 5pm.
Lebanon’s health ministry said 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, without giving further details.
Smoke rises in southern Lebanon following Israeli strike after a senior Israeli official told Reuters on Friday that Israel and Hezbollah were in a ceasefire, as long as Hezbollah does not attack Israel
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on June 19
Witkoff, Araghchi travel to Switzerland for talks
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were both headed to Switzerland for talks, Axios said on Friday, as a ceasefire in Lebanon appeared to revive efforts to turn an interim Iran war pact into a lasting regional deal.
With the ceasefire in place, Witkoff is heading to Switzerland to join Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who is already there, Axios said. Araqchi plans to travel there on Saturday, it added.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday after escalating fighting cast doubt over US-Iran talks critical to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and stabilising oil supplies.
That followed a 14-point memorandum the two sides signed this week to halt fighting and open a 60-day window to resolve disputes over Iran’s nuclear programme, as well as other thorny issues needed to forge a more durable deal.
US Vice President JD Vance canceled plans on Thursday to travel to Switzerland for the talks, however, amid rising tension in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group backed by Iran.
