BBC News reports that three Palestinian militants were killed by undercover Israeli forces after a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus. The three men were part of a terrorist cell accused of carrying out several attacks across the West Bank. Fatah’s military wing confirmed that the three men belonged to their faction, and said they were killed in “a cowardly assassination”.

A video report from BBC News examines how some Jews have gone to great lengths to pray at the Temple Mount/al-Aqsa Mosque. The report focuses on a group called “Returning to the Mount” whose members dress up as Muslims to get around the prayer ban to enter and worship at the site.

The Associated Press reports that Israel reportedly struck targets near the Syrian capital of Damascus, which according to Syrian state media resulted in the death of one soldier and the injury of five more. In a rare statement the Israeli IDF acknowledged it had attacked targets in Syria after an anti-aircraft missile was fired into northern Israel.

The Financial Times reports on how Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has taken a less combative approach to the JCPOA nuclear talks compared to predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu. The paper notes: “Now, as Western and Iranian negotiators try to find a way back to the deal that former US president Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, Netanyahu’s successor, the mild-mannered Naftali Bennett, has adopted a more measured approach, letting his disquiet be known through back channels or in sober statements.”

Reuters reports that an aviation dispute between Israel and the United Arab Emirates could halt direct flights between the countries on Israeli carriers. Israel’s Shin Bet voiced concerns about security arrangements at Dubai’s international airport and said its three national carriers would stop operating direct flights if the issues went unresolved. The current arrangements were due to expire this week but have been extended by a month so that negotiations can continue.

The Guardian reports that Iranian refugees face deportation from Turkey after attending a demonstration protesting Turkey’s decision to leave the Istanbul convention on violence against women. The lawyer representing the refugees said: “They are fighting for their lives. They came to Turkey to survive. They’re trying to stay here so as not to die.”

In the Israeli media, the allegations of illegal use of spyware by the Israel Police continues to dominate the news. In Maariv, Ben Caspit comments that neither Calcalist, the paper which made the allegations, nor the police who deny them, have produced any proof to substantiate their assertions. Caspit goes on to reflect on the quality of the information and the possible motives behind the decision to leak it to Calcalist, writing: “If the information that was reported is correct — this truly is an earthquake, an eclipse — and forming a state commission of inquiry is the self-evident decision to make. When a journalist publishes a story, s/he need not be troubled by either the quality and character of her/his source or the source’s interests. The only criterion needs to be the truth. If the story is true, it needs to be published … the only relevant question is whether the allegations are true or not. The only way to answer that is to provide proof.”

In Yediot Ahronot, Alex Fishman writes: “Most of the information obtained by espionage organizations, such as the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate, the Mossad and the GSS [Shin Bet], is obtained by means of offensive cyber tools. For Deputy GSS Director Roni Alsheich, dealing with Palestinian terrorism or spies by means of offensive cyber tools was self-evident. He also brought professionals onto the police force, some of whom were veterans of espionage organisations and had grown accustomed to dealing with an enemy without rights. Some of them appear to have failed to assimilate the fact that the police deals with citizens who have rights, and not with foreign enemies that need to be taken out.”

Kan Radio reports that Syria fired an anti-aircraft missile into Israeli airspace in response to what it claims was an IDF airstrike near Damascus last night. The missile exploded in the air as air raid sirens were set off above Umm el-Fahm and the northern West Bank. According to Syrian officials, the IDF airstrike happened in the early hours of the morning. Syrian anti-aircraft batteries fired missiles at the Israeli aircraft. In reaction, the IDF attacked several targets in Syria, including anti-aircraft batteries that fired missiles at IAF planes and a radar. According to Syrian reports, one Syrian soldier was killed and five were injured.

Israel Hayom follows yesterday’s joint IDF-Shin Bet operation that killed three members of a terrorist cell in Nablus. The IDF said the cell carried out four shooting attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians in the area over the past two weeks. The security forces are still in pursuit of the last remaining terrorist from the cell, Ibrahim Nablasi, who was not in the vehicle that the other three had been traveling in when they were killed. Following the operation, residents of Nablus attacked a taxi driver from Rishon Lezion who had travelled to the city to have his vehicle fixed. The driver was safely extracted and was detained by the police for questioning.

Walla reports that Israel Police cleared out some 20 right-wing activists who set up several mobile structures in a largely Bedouin area in southern Israel. They had declared the area outside the city of Rahat a “new point of settlement in the Negev” that they had named “Ma’aleh Paula,” named after the wife of Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, who lived in the Negev and made Jewish settlement in the Negev a key part of his vision. Over 100 police officers arrived in the area to quell tensions, and later evacuated the activists and took down “a number of illegal temporary structures,” a police statement said. At least 15 men were briefly detained after they refused to evacuate the area.

Kan Radio reports that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Finance Minister Lieberman intend this evening to present a plan to fight the rising cost of living. The plan will include lowering taxes, lifting customs on imports, expediting the import reform and partially subsidising the rise in the price of electricity. Finance Ministry officials are staunchly opposed to lowering taxes on fuel. The plan may also include financial aid to businesses that suffered losses as a result of the Omicron wave.