BBC News reports that two babies have died in north-west Syria following heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. The babies were sheltering at camps for displaced people in the Idlib province. This comes after a one-month baby died at the end of January. The UN has increasingly warned about deteriorating conditions across refugee camps in Syria. According to the UN, the severe weather has destroyed close to 1,000 tents and damaged close to 10,000.

The Financial Times reports on China’s increasing influence in the Middle East, as the US continues to retreat from the region. The paper focuses on China’s ties with Iraq, noting that the country “has become the biggest beneficiary of Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative … Beijing struck $10.5bn in new construction contracts in Iraq last year, part of a ‘strong shift’ in its engagement towards the Middle East despite a broader downturn in Chinese outbound investment”.

The Guardian reports on the ongoing investigation regarding the Israeli police’s use of the Pegasus cyber software. Yesterday, the police said they had found evidence of ‘legally debatable’ use of the spyware.

The Associated Press reports on the ongoing effort to legalise marijuana in Israel. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told The Associated Press: “Everything will change dramatically overnight if there will be legalisation. The market would be unlimited. It would be huge.” Despite being a world leader in medical cannabis and possession of the drug being decriminalised, there remain severe restrictions on research, growth, distribution, and sales of cannabis.

In the Israeli media, Walla reports that the US State Department said last night it was not satisfied with the disciplinary measures that were taken against officers in the Netzah Yehuda Battalion following the death of an American citizen in the West Bank in mid-January. Rather, the US State Department said in a statement that it expects a thorough criminal investigation into the death of the 80-year-old American citizen, Omar Assad, who was found dead after having been detained by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. Yesterday, two junior officers were dismissed and the battalion commander was formally reprimanded by OC Central Command Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi described the soldiers’ conduct as an “ethical failure” and “obtuseness,” adding: “I expect every soldier and commander to know how to fight, but for him [also] to know how to uphold human dignity and the IDF’s values.”

In Maariv, Tal Lev Ram writes that the IDF inquiry into the circumstances of Assad’s death concluded that the decision to detain him had been very misguided and that it reflected a lack of good judgment. IDF officials concluded that the commanders had failed to use good judgment given that, at the very least, they could have allowed Assad to remain in his vehicle and did not have to remove him from the vehicle and to detain him in an outdoor courtyard, where he died. Maj. Gen. Fuchs believes there was no need to dismantle the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, and that the right course would be to diversify its operational duties and to have it operate outside of the West Bank as well. “There are excellent troops in the battalion. In the past half year the battalion has been quite aware of the shadow that has been cast on it, and any irregular incident that occurs comes [to light] thanks to a report from the battalion and not as a result of an external investigation.”

Yediot Ahronot’s Yossi Yehoshua argues that the grave incident involving the Netzah Yehuda Battalion and the death of Omar Assad is a wakeup call that obliges the IDF to contemplate the battalion’s future in its current format. “The IDF should consider a future that would be better for the battalion, for the IDF and for Israeli society — and one that would not damage the programme for drafting Haredim into the IDF.” At least 500 soldiers are under the command of the Netzah Yehuda battalion commander, who ranks at the low level of lieutenant-colonel. All of the battalions in the Kfir Brigade routinely perform four months of operational duty (and not only in West Bank) followed by four months of training. The Netzah Yehuda Battalion performs its operational duty in the territories exclusively; it does so for six months straight, followed by just one month of training. The reason the Netzah Yehuda Battalion does not get deployed to different sectors is the unique infrastructure that is needed for this special Haredi battalion and the absence of female soldiers.

Israel Hayom follows the speech by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the INSS annual conference in which he said last night that the campaign to weaken Iran has begun. He said that that campaign was being waged on several fronts — economic, cyber as well as overt and covert operations. Bennett also said that the IDF would begin to integrate an experimental laser system for intercepting rockets and missiles within a year’s time into the IDF’s arsenal. The laser-based system would in the longer-term “protects us from missiles, rockets, UAVs and other threats. In fact, it will take away the strongest card the enemy has against us”.

Haaretz reports that after denying all allegations of wrongdoing for weeks, the Israel Police conceded that it may have misused NSO Group spyware to monitor Israeli citizens. The Police said that “additional findings” emerged from an internal investigation that may “change things, in certain aspects” of their previously held stance that they always used the software with a warrant, and never took data from phones. In January, the news site Calcalist published a report accusing the Israel Police of using the Pegasus software on Israelis without court authorisation since 2013.

Kan Radio reports this morning the cabinet is expected to convene within the next several days to discuss a plan that will involve lowering import duties and possibly also taxes to help contain the rising cost of living in Israel. Last night Osem, one of the largest food manufacturers and distributors in Israel, decided to postpone a planned price hike on its products by three months. Osem’s decision appears to have been partially induced by threats of a consumer boycott of its products.

Army Radio reports that the Justice Ministry says the compromise that was reached between the Defence Ministry and settlers regarding the Evyatar outpost is legal and can therefore be implemented. As part of the agreement, the settlers would evacuate the outpost and a yeshiva would be built on the site. Once that is completed, the defence minister can have the IDF issue an extraordinary planning order to turn the area into state land. Deputy Minister Abir Kara said: “Evyatar was a compromise that was made by all of the parties in the government. When you sign an agreement you need to know how to keep it, and I expect the entire government and all of the MKs to honour this agreement.” Meretz Faction Chairwoman Michal Rozin wrote on Twitter: “The attorney general’s approval to establish the illegal settlement outpost Evyatar is a victory for the violence by the outlaws in the outposts. This approval contradicts the guiding line of the coalition agreement and completely contradicts Meretz’s position.”