The Independent i and the online edition of the Guardian both cover the visit of US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter to Israel. Carter met yesterday with Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon and as emphasised by the Independent i, Carter pledged American support to guard against threats to Israel, specifically Hezbollah which is backed by Iran. Carter will meet with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today.

The Independent and Independent i both report that Israeli activists are protesting in support of the Palestinian village of Khirbat Susiya in the West Bank after an Israeli court ordered that buildings which had been constructed without a permit can be demolished from this week.

The Guardian online covers a decision by Israel’s Attorney General to launch a criminal investigation into the management of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s official residence. Extravagant spending at the residence became a major focus in the Israeli media during the election campaign earlier this year. However, there is no suggestion that Netanyahu or his wife Sara are implicated in the impending investigation.

The Daily Mail includes a feature on all aspects of burgeoning UK-Israel trade, which is described as being “at an all-time high.”

The Evening Standard says that London Mayor Boris Johnson will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories later this year and that the visit may boost his leadership credentials within the Conservative Party.

The Telegraph and Independent i both report that the United Nations Security Council yesterday unanimously approved the nuclear deal agreed last week between Iran and the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany). City AM says that US President Barack Obama yesterday sent the agreement to US Congress for its approval, where the accord is expected to receive significant opposition. The article says that Prime Minister Netanyahu has urged Congressmen to reject the deal. The Guardian reports says that European companies are racing to Iran in order to take advantage of business opportunities, with the lifting of sanctions expected.

The Independent includes a feature on a hit television programme in many parts of the Arab world this Ramadan, including in Palestinian areas. “The Jewish Quarter” is said to be the first time that Jews have been depicted in a positive light in a mainstream Arabic television production.

Meanwhile, the online editions of the Telegraph and Financial Times say that ISIS has shut down private internet in the Syrian city of Raqqa, in a possible indication that the terror group is feeling increased pressure.

In the Israeli media, Yediot Ahronot, Maariv, Haaretz and Israel Hayom all lead with potential budget cuts and reforms in the IDF. Two plans are currently being considered, one proposed by IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot and one by Maj. Gen. (res.) Yohanan Locker, which is to be presented today. Locker’s plan is expected to be more radical, with Haaretz speculating it will suggest the dismissal of 2,000 career officers and the shortening of mandatory service to just two years. However, Yediot Ahronot’s military commentator Alex Fishman says that neither report is likely to be adopted in full.

Yediot Ahronot and Maariv both prominently cover yesterday’s publication of the State Comptroller’s report into the government’s handling of negotiations over the natural gas industry. The report heavily criticises the government and everyone involved in the process, with the financial arrangements between the state and the industry’s prime investors yet to be resolved. Commenting in Yediot Ahronot, Sever Plocker says that the report shows “everyone is to blame for the chaos in making the decisions … The list is long. As usual in such cases, when ‘everyone is to blame,’ no single agency feels that it is particularly to blame.”