The Guardian online reports that Israel’s Attorney General has ordered a police investigation into the purchase of three German submarines, which it is suspected may have been influenced by the business interests of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lawyer, David Shimron. Although it appeared earlier this week that a criminal probe was unlikely, the report says that the move towards an investigation may have been prompted by new information regarding the bribery case against former-Deputy Head of the National Security Council, Avriel Bar-Yosef.

The Independent reports that earlier this week, the Knesset approved the first reading of a bill to keep police and Shin Bet interrogations of terror suspects off the record, formalising what was originally a temporary measure. The report quotes Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who said that the bill is designed to prevent terrorists using published details to train operatives to cope with  interrogations.

In the Financial Times, Roula Khalaf speculates about the regional impact of Donald Trump’s election. She says that “at this early stage, two regional winners appear to have emerged,” with Israel’s far right “expecting him to give up on the idea of a Palestinian state” and Egypt’s President al-Sisi “who has made it his mission to eradicate the Muslim Brotherhood”.

The Guardian profiles Nikki Haley, Trump’s selection as the new US Ambassador to the United Nations. The article quotes South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who describes Haley as a “strong supporter” of Israel.

The online editions of the Telegraph and the Financial Times both report that Syrian government forces have invited civilians and opposition fighters in Aleppo to participate in a friendly football match as “a goodwill gesture on the road to national reconciliation”. The Times and the online edition of the Telegraph both cover claims that dozens of families have been prevented from fleeing the fighting in Aleppo. The Times says that opposition fighters blocked their exit.

The Guardian online reports that Egyptian courts will hold a mass trial of almost 300 ISIS suspects, some of whom are accused of plotting to assassinate President al-Sisi.

In the Israeli media, the top story in Israel Hayom and Yediot Ahronot is the ongoing battle to extinguish forest fires in central and northern Israel. Both devote the first several pages to the fires which erupted or continued yesterday, with the Yediot Ahronot front page headline proclaiming “scorched earth”. Maariv and Haaretz emphasise increased suspicions that arson could be to blame for some of the fires.

The top story in Haaretz and Maariv is the news that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has ordered a police investigation into what has become known as the submarine affair. Maariv’s Ben Caspit criticises the decision to open a more limited inquiry rather than a full-blown investigation, saying “it prevents the police from making extensive use of investigation means and vital investigation techniques”. Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Nahum Barnea says that currently “there isn’t any evidence that indicates that the prime minister either received or expected to receive any personal benefit as a result of the submarine acquisition”.

Haaretz says that Rabbi Eyal Krim, who has been selected as the next Chief Military Chaplain of the IDF, has sought to clarify to the High Court controversial comments he made in the past, which appeared to justify under Jewish religious law, the rape of non-Jewish women during wartime. Rabbi Krim apologised and said that rape is forbidden during war.

Israel Radio news says that a Hamas leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Haya, has welcomed the possibility that Turkey could be in a position to mediate between Israel and Hamas. He said that Israel would have to release Hamas prisoners before the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in Operation Protective Edge would be returned.