The Times and the Telegraph report on the UN’s announcement that it intercepted two North Korean ships in the past six months which were heading to the Syrian research centre responsible for its missile and chemical weapons programmes. The Times notes that Iran and Syria are key partners in transferring missiles to Hezbollah.

The Economist analyses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apparent inconsistency when confronting antisemitism, citing his differential treatment to Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the neo-Nazi protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Financial Times reports on a deal between Egypt and Hamas to reopen the Rafah border crossing, suggesting that the agreement reflects the changing dynamics of the region following the Gulf crackdown on Qatar, the biggest donor to projects in Gaza and a backer of Hamas.

The Telegraph reports on the number of nuclear weapons in the world and claim that Israel, along with Pakistan, India and North Korea, possess nuclear weapons but is not part of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The Israeli media focuses on today’s meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, with commentators generally skeptical of Netanyahu’s ability to influence Putin.

In Maariv, Yossi Melman writes: “Russia and Israel currently do not share aligned interests. Israel has demanded that the Iranian presence – Hezbollah and the Shiite militias – be removed from Syrian soil, and certainly from the areas that are near the Golan border. The latter objective might be achieved in the context of understandings that might be worked out between the United States and Russia. But Russia needs Iran and its proxies to continue the fight in eastern Syria against ISIS and the last pockets of rebel forces elsewhere in Syria. For Russia, the Iranian-Hizbullah-Shiite troops are ‘boots on the ground’ that will fight to secure Russia’s objective – to entrench the Assad regime. Therefore, the chances that Netanyahu will persuade Putin to remove Iran from Syria are very slim.”

In Yediot Ahronoth, Shimon Shiffer writes that “the truth is that after all those coordination meetings that Netanyahu has held with Putin in recent years, Israel can now expect to find itself under the threat of Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen, who will be deployed along the Golan border fence; under the threat of new rockets that will be manufactured in a factory that was built by Iran near Aleppo and delivered to Hezbollah; and under the threat of thousands of Shiite militiamen from Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

Kan Radio reports on comments made by Russian Ambassador to Israel Alexander Shein that Russia objected to foreign troops remaining in Syria after consolidating an arrangement, but that the Syrian government must be supported in its war on terrorism. He said there was no alternative to the Assad regime in the opposition.

In other news, Haaretz reports that according to Civil Administration data there are 3,455 residential and public buildings built on private Palestinian lands in the West Bank which could be legalised as part of the regulation law currently being considered by the Supreme Court.

Israel Hayom reports that Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas intends to make 30,000 state employees in Gaza paid by the PA redundant.

Haaretz also reports that sources in Gaza are accusing Mossad of assassinating a Palestinian man, Mohammed Tahsin al-Bazam, in Sweden. According to the report, al-Bazam’s family has ties to Hamas.

Haaretz, the Times of Israel and Yediot Ahronoth all report that Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the Supreme Court for an additional hearing after it ruled that he must release phone records between himself and Israel Hayom owner Sheldon Adelson.

Yediot Ahronoth reports on “the end of the dream” as Hapoel Beer Sheva exit the Champions League on away goals to Maribor.

Israel Hayom reports that Labour party figures believe that leader Avi Gabbay’s attempts to reserve spots on the party list has been inspired by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak.