BBC News, The Times, The Independent, The Financial Times, The Guardian and Reuters report that UN human rights experts have demanded an immediate investigation into allegations that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince hacked Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’s phone. They said Mohammed bin Salman should also be investigated for “continuous, direct and personal efforts to target perceived opponents”.

The Times reports that Boris Johnson communicated with Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, over WhatsApp, it was claimed last night. A forensic analysis of the alleged hacking has found that a phone belonging to Mr Bezos was corrupted by a file sent from a WhatsApp account purportedly belonging to the crown prince in April or May 2018.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He explained Poland’s decision to refuse to attend the meeting of the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem today to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. He said the meeting was giving too prominent a role to President Putin, described Poland’s plans to hold a memorial event at Auschwitz on 27 January and defended his 2018 comments that Jewish people were also perpetrators of the Holocaust.

The Financial Times reports that a US businessman believes that the sovereign wealth fund of one of the seven United Arab Emirates was responsible for hacking his emails, the High Court in London was told on Wednesday.

BBC News, The Guardian and The Independent report that French President Emmanuel Macron confronted Israeli police during a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. Mr Macron accused officers of violating rules that prevent them from entering the Crusader-era Church of St Anne, which is considered French territory.

Reuters and The Associated Press report that dozens of world leaders will convene in Jerusalem on Thursday to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, amid a backdrop of rising antisemitism in Europe and the United States.

The Jewish Chronicle reports that the UK government has pledged to investigate how a pro-Iranian campaign group was allowed to circulate teaching material which compares the actions of the Israeli government to that of the Nazis and describes recent conflicts between Israel and Hamas in Gaza as genocide. The materials were sent to schools to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day.

BBC News and Reuters reports that Lebanon has formed a new government, ending months of deadlock that have left the country adrift as an economic crisis deepens. The Times reports that this new government has announced that the country is facing “catastrophe” in a bleak assessment, as new prime minister Hassan Diab cited ‘financial, economic and social dead end’ in his assessment yesterday.

The Independent and The Guardian report that President Donald Trump on Wednesday minimised the severity of head injuries sustained by U.S. troops during an Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi air base as he was pressed on why he had claimed no troops were injured in the attack.

Reuters reports that  Brian Hook, U.S. special representative for Iran, said the successor to Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike, would suffer the same fate if he followed a similar path of killing Americans, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported.

Reuters reports that Iranian-backed Shi’ite factions have exhorted Iraqis to turn out for a “million-strong” march on Friday aimed at whipping up anti-American sentiment as the United States’ struggle with Iran plays out on the streets of Baghdad.

In The Guardian, David Wearing argues that the Bezos phone hack revelations destroy the ‘myth’ of a reformed Saudi Arabia, raising disturbing questions for Western states that ally themselves with the Saudi regime.

In The Financial Times, Najmeh Bozorgmehr assesses the unspoken battle to succeed Ayatollah Khamenei, wherein the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) believe they have gained the upper hand after the death of Qassem Soleimani.

In The Independent, Borzou Daraghi and Bel Trew analyse Khalifa Haftar’s designs on Libya and the vast gap between Haftar’s ambitions and curtailed capabilities as a key stumbling block to ending Libya’s civil war.

In The Independent, Kim Sengupta says the Bezos phone hack may tell the international community about the Saudi regime’s operations abroad, writing that Saudi Arabia has both the motivation and means to hack Bezos’ device.

Maariv reports the political debate about Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to apply Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and a possible cabinet decision over the issues next week. Former defence minister and senior Blue and White leader Moshe Yaalon clarified his party’s position saying: “When we drew up Blue and White’s platform, we stated that the Jordan Valley is the State of Israel’s eastern border forever … we intended to return to Rabin’s security doctrine, and this is what Benny Gantz was referring to in his comments about the Jordan Valley.” Yisrael Beiteinu leader, Avigdor Liberman mocked the idea saying: “What? Why now? You’ve been prime minister continuously since 2009, and for some reason, for more than a decade, I never  heard you talk so much about applying Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley.. This is pure distraction from the issue of immunity.” Shas leader Aryeh Deri offered the prime minister his full support. According to Barak Ravid on Channel 13 News, the White House is opposed to any Israeli decision to apply sovereignty to any part of the West Bank before the release of its plan for Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Kan Radio News reports that Hamas has agreed to an Egyptian request to stop explosive-rigged balloons being launched from Gaza into Israel, though Hamas has not confirmed the deal. Balloons were launched into Israel yesterday for the seventh consecutive day. One of them landed in the garden of a home in Kibbutz Saad near the Gaza Strip, carrying a grenade and loaded with liquid fuel and metal ball-bearings. No one was injured.

The Jerusalem Post reports that, according to Iranian media, an Iranian Basij forces commander, Abdolhossein Mojaddami, was shot dead in front of his home yesterday. The paper explains that: “The Basij forces, one of the five forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC), are often used to suppress protests and demonstrations in the Islamic Republic. Mojaddami was killed by two men who wore masks and were riding a motorcycle.”

Ynet report that the Israel Defence Forces annual fatality statistics for 2019 were the lowest in Israel’s history. The IDF said that 27 soldiers died or were killed in the past year and 35 soldiers were critically wounded. According to the report, two soldiers were categorised as ‘fallen in battle’ including 19-year-old Staff Sgt. Gal Keidan, who was killed last March in a terrorist attack at the Ariel Junction when a Palestinian attacker stabbed him and seized his weapon. Dvir Sorek was declared by the IDF as having been killed during ‘hostile terrorist activity.’ Sorek’s body was found with multiple stab wounds last August near the seminary where he studied as part of a programme which combines Torah studies with military service. The army said that the soldier was neither armed nor in uniform when his body was found. The report says two soldiers died during military training and 12 soldiers committed suicide, compared to nine in 2018. Five soldiers died in car accidents and two died due to medical condition and illness. The statistics also include First Sergeant Zachary Baumel, who was missing in action during the First Lebanon War and whose remains were returned to Israel in April 2019, after 37 years.