The Evening Standard covers a Wall St Journal report which claims that Israel recently warned the United States of a £580million arms deal under which Russia is selling Syria four batteries of advanced ground-to-air missile systems. Syrian President Assad’s purchase of this sophisticated weaponry would complicate the prospects of international military intervention in Syria’s bloody conflict. The Telegraph reports that Prime Minister David Cameron wants to host an international summit on Syria in London, which he proposed earlier this week as a joint US-Russian initiative. In the same publication, Con Coughlin analyses Cameron’s meeting today with Russian President Putin over the increasing uncertainty in Syria.

Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry has indicated that there would be no role for Assad in a post-conflict Syria even if a peaceful solution were found. It is a comment likely to irk Russia, a staunch supporter of Assad. Both the Guardian and Telegraph also note comments made yesterday by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who said that Damascus would supply his organisation with “game-changing weapons.” The Independent and its’ sister publication Independent i cover comments by Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister which indicated that United Nations chemical weapons inspectors will be allowed entry into Syria to conduct an investigation into the use of illicit weapons.

The Times, Independent i, Telegraph and online edition of the Independent report that Israel’s civil administration, responsible for non-military matters in the West Bank, has given permission for the construction of almost three hundred homes in the West Bank settlement of Beit El. There are numerous stages to the authorisation process for such construction, but the announcement comes just days after media reports that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instituted a de-facto settlement freeze.

There is significant commentary on Prof Stephen Hawking’s decision to withdraw from an Israeli conference next month following pressure from Palestinian academics urging an academic boycott of Israel. An editorial in the Times criticises Hawking’s decision as “intellectually and morally disreputable,” while Douglas Murray, writing in the Daily Mail accuses Hawking of extreme naivety. Meanwhile, Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada writes in the Guardian, hailing Hawking for helping popularise the Israel boycott movement. Meanwhile, the online editions of the Guardian and Telegraph report that the Church of Scotland has agreed to modify a recent report which appeared to question Israel’s right to exist.

In the Israeli media, reaction to Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s budget plans continues to be covered prominently. Although Lapid’s measures of increased taxes and impending cuts received the support yesterday of Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer, protests took place outside Lapid’s home. Sof Hashavua’s front page headline says “The Social Protest Returns” in reference to the summer of protests in 2011, while Haaretz calls Lapid’s plans “Unequal cuts.” Maariv’s top story suggests that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will determine the extent of cuts to the defence budget, which will dictate the extent of the cuts elsewhere. Meanwhile, a poll in Israel Hayom suggests that 48 per cent of Jewish Israelis believe that Lapid’s plans are unnecessary, while 54 per cent said that their confidence in Lapid had dropped.

Israel Hayom and Israel Radio news focus on comments made yesterday by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who claimed that his organisation will receive high-quality weaponry from Syria. Maariv reports that United Nations peacekeepers have been withdrawn from a section of the Syrian sector of the Golan Heights due to security concerns.

Israel Radio news reports that thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews have gathered this morning at the Western Wall in Jerusalem to oppose a monthly prayer service for women at the site, a departure from orthodox Jewish tradition, which has received nonetheless received growing legal and political backing over the past few months.