Vance, Iranian officials arrive in Switzerland to begin new round of talks amid ceasefire

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Sunday that Israel remains open to a diplomatic path toward peace with Lebanon, but warned that any lasting agreement will require curbing Iran’s influence and addressing the threat posed by Hezbollah.

Appearing on "FOX & Friends First," Herzog argued that Tehran continues to wield outsized influence in Lebanon through Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terror group that has repeatedly clashed with Israel along the northern border.

"How the hell do you want to get to peace between Israel and Lebanon when you have Hezbollah hijacking Lebanon?" Herzog said.

His comments come as Israeli and Lebanese officials are expected to resume talks in Washington this week aimed at advancing a potential peace agreement between the neighboring countries.

While expressing optimism about the possibility of improved relations, Herzog said Iran’s involvement remains a major obstacle. He argued that Tehran is undermining Lebanese leaders who seek stability and closer ties with Israel.

"Iran should not be involved at all in the crisis in Lebanon," Herzog said, adding that the international community must make clear that Tehran cannot continue to exert influence through Hezbollah.

Despite the ongoing conflict, Herzog painted an optimistic picture of what peace could look like in the region.

"We want peace," Herzog said. "My dream ... is to take a car and drive all the way to Beirut."

He argued that achieving that vision will require confronting Hezbollah, which he accused of repeatedly violating ceasefire arrangements and preventing meaningful progress toward peace.

"Somebody needs to do the work," Herzog said, arguing that Hezbollah must be disarmed or stripped of its ability to derail diplomatic efforts before a lasting peace can take hold.

Israeli soldiers will remain within the security zone in Lebanon during a U.S.-backed ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday.

"There has never been, and there is currently no restriction on IDF soldiers in Lebanon acting to remove threats,” Katz said, adding that the ceasefire agreement “leaves the IDF in all of its positions within the security zone that protects the northern communities.”

“As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have made clear: Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon,” Katz said.

Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement that went into effect on Friday, though Israel has claimed the terror group has repeatedly violated the ceasefire in the ensuing days.

Katz said in his statement that the IDF used “significant force” to respond to a Hezbollah attack on its forces, eliminating “a very large number of Hezbollah terrorists” and striking “numerous terrorist infrastructures.”

A senior IDF official told Fox News on Saturday that Hezbollah launched more than 50 rockets at Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon overnight, calling the attacks "continuous and repeated violations" of the ceasefire agreement reached.

The official also said five IDF soldiers have been killed over the past 48 hours amid renewed clashes with Hezbollah.

Fox News Digital's Yonat Friling and Brittany Miller contributed to this report.

Vice President JD Vance landed in Switzerland early Sunday to help launch a new round of negotiations with Iran, as the Trump administration pushes for a lasting agreement following a recently signed ceasefire.

Vance arrived shortly before 6 a.m. local time and is expected to join White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, for the talks.

Swiss officials confirmed Sunday that the Iranian delegation had arrived and was traveling to Bürgenstock, where the discussions are expected to take place.

The talks were initially scheduled for Friday, but Switzerland's foreign ministry announced that planned negotiations involving the U.S., Iran, Qatar and Pakistan had been postponed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also expected to participate in the talks, according to Axios.

The negotiations come days after Trump signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran following the G7 summit at the Palace of Versailles. The agreement established a 60-day ceasefire and outlined a framework for broader negotiations between the two countries aimed at ending the conflict.

In a Truth Social post Saturday, Trump warned that the United States could impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz if negotiations fail to produce a lasting agreement before the ceasefire expires.

Before departing from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Vance said a successful trip would involve establishing the framework for future negotiations.

"I think number one, just getting things set up in the right way and getting the actual structure of the negotiations in place," he said.

"The way that we're going to do this, we're going to have a principal level of political leadership at the top," he continued. "And then obviously the technical team is going to stay on the ground."

Vance said he expected to remain in Switzerland for a day or two. The vice president also previewed some of the issues expected to be discussed during the negotiations.

"I think we're hopefully making progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue," he said.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz.