The Times reports that Mike Pompeo, the new US Secretary of State, is using his first overseas trip to push for new curbs on Iran, but also to chide its regional rival, Saudi Arabia. In Riyadh yesterday Pompeo reiterated US President Donald Trump’s threat to terminate the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. “Iran destabilises this entire region,” he said. “It supports proxy militias and terrorist groups. It is an arms dealer to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. It supports the murderous Assad regime as well.” His words will please Saudi Arabia, which is in a power struggle with Iran. Pompeo also signalled that the US was running out of patience with the row between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Saudi Arabia put an economic blockade on its neighbour and persuaded three others to do so as well to force it to cut its ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. Most recently it has considered plans to sink a canal and dump nuclear waste near its border with Qatar. “Gulf unity is necessary and we need to achieve it,” he said. The spat has caused a headache for the US. Trump has put great store in strengthening ties with Saudi Arabia but America also has an airbase in Qatar. Diplomats fear that the Saudi campaign is pushing Qatar even more into the arms of Iran, with which it enjoys warm relations.

The Telegraph and the Daily Express report that missile strikes overnight in central Syria killed at least 26 pro-regime fighters, most of them Iranians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the missiles struck a military base in the province of Hama late Sunday night, in an assault it said bore the hallmarks of an Israeli operation. “At least 26 fighters were killed, including four Syrians,” the monitor said, adding that the main target of the missile strike was the base of the regime’s 47th Brigade. “The others are foreign fighters, a vast majority of them Iranians,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based organisation. “Given the nature of the target, it is likely to have been an Israeli strike,” he said, adding that strikes also hit an air base in nearby Aleppo province where surface-to-surface missiles were stored.

The Independent reports that Iran has confirmed that a professor who works at London’s Imperial College has been arrested on “security charges”. British-Iranian academic Abbas Edalat was reportedly detained by Iranian Revolutionary Guards in mid-April, according to the New York-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

The Independent reports that the Syrian army says its forces have captured a string of villages in the east of the country from US-backed rebels. Syrian state television said on Sunday that government troops had gained control of several settlements east of the Euphrates River near the border with Iraq from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The US-supported militia, mainly comprised of the Kurdish YPG, had taken much of the territory in Deir el-Zour province as part of a major campaign last year that drove ISIS forces out of eastern Syria.

The Telegraph reports that French President Emmanuel Macron and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday night agreed to work together to preserve the Iran nuclear deal, in a marked signal to the US. Less than a week after the French president implored the White House to stick with the agreement during a state visit to the Washington, Macron suggested that the deal could be widened. In what appears to be the latest attempt to prevent Trump scrapping the agreement. In an hour-long phone call with Tehran, Macron proposed that discussions should close loop holes in the deal, which have angered Trump. Macron raised “three additional, indispensable subjects” not covered by the current deal with Rouhani, citing Tehran’s ballistic missile programmes, its nuclear activities beyond 2025 and Iran’s destabilising influence in the Middle East. The Daily Mail reports Britain, France and Germany reaffirmed their backing for the Iran nuclear deal, despite Trump’s threat to walk away. Downing Street said UK Prime Minister Theresa May spoke by telephone with Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel after their visits last week to Washington. The two leaders returned home apparently having made little headway in their efforts to persuade the US President not to abandon the agreement.

The Guardian reports that animal rights activists have marched in Israel against live exports from Australia, seeking to maintain pressure on both governments to end the “cruel industry”. Protesters gathered in Tel Aviv to call for an end of live animal imports from Australia. Animals Australia said about 3,000 people attended the rally.

The Daily Mail via AP report that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday ratcheted up the Trump administration’s rhetoric against Iran and gave warm boosts of support to Israel and Saudi Arabia in their standoffs with Tehran. Pompeo’s comments in Riyadh and then Tel Aviv came as he neared the end of the Middle East leg of his first trip abroad as America’s top diplomat. He has called for concerted international action to punish Iran for its missile programs and other actions that he said destabilise the region. “We remain deeply concerned about Iran’s dangerous escalation of threats to Israel and the region and Iran’s ambition to dominate the Middle East remains,” said Pompeo  after a nearly two-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The United States is with Israel in this fight,” he added. Israel has cited Iran’s hostile rhetoric, support for anti-Israel militant groups and development of long-range missiles.

The Daily Mail via AFP reports on the start of one of cycling’s biggest races, the Giro d’Italia, that will take place in Israel. The race’s “Big Start”, beginning Friday, marks the first time any of cycling’s three major races — the Giro, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana — will begin outside of Europe. It is a major boon for Israel’s efforts to present itself as a sport and tourism destination despite being the site of a seemingly intractable conflict. The three-day start will take riders on a spin through the hilly metropolis to modern Mediterranean cities and finally the desert, passing the world’s largest erosion crater and ending at the Red Sea. The 10-kilometre Jerusalem time trial on Friday will see riders sprint through the western sector of the city.

The Daily Mail reports that a 15-year-old Palestinian has died the day after being shot by Israeli troops during protests along the Gaza border. Israeli forces have killed 42 Palestinians since Gaza residents began staging protests along the border fence on 30 March. The teenager killed was identified as Azzam Aweida and hundreds of people gathered at his home in the southern town of Khan Younis to attend the funeral.

The Daily Mail reports that a covert operation has uncovered an alleged paedophile principal shopping and socialising in Israel after faking mental illness and claiming to be unfit to stand trial. Malka Leifer, the ex-principal of Melbourne’s ultra-orthodox Jewish Adass Israel Girls School, was captured on hundreds of hours of secret surveillance, with private investigators using cameras hidden in car keys and water bottles to film her. More than 200 hours of footage of Leifer has been captured showing her visiting shops and socialising with others in Immanuel, Israel – despite her claims that she is unable to stand trial due to her impaired mental state and inability to communicate.

Metro reports that Israel’s Netta Barzilai has completed her first rehearsal of her 2018 Eurovision Song Contest entry “Toy” and odds have started to shift for the favourite as the press centre was left underwhelmed by her performance. Similar to last year, the stage seems to drain some of the power from the song. Toy has become the red-hot favourite since its release in March and has clocked up over 16m YouTube video views on the official Eurovision channel. She’s also been hugely popular at the Eurovision preview events.

Yediot Ahronot reports on an attack against a Syrian Regime Base in Syria. This morning, Kan Radio News quoted Sky News Arabia which reported that approximately 40 people were killed and approximately 60 were injured in attacks last night in Syria. The report further said that Syrian opposition officials reported that 18 Iranians were killed in the attacks last night, including a senior Iranian official in Syria. In related news, Haaretz quotes Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s comments that Israel would maintain complete freedom of action in Syria.

Israel Hayom and Haaretz report of different incidents in which armed Palestinians tried to cross the Gaza fence with three being killed and three apprehended. Maariv reports that British Ambassador to Israel David Quarrey secretly accompanied Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai on Friday to the Gaza border fence following his criticism of Israel’s handling of the demonstrations.

Haaretz and Israel Hayom report comments by visiting Secretary of State Pompeo who said the Nuclear Agreement will either be revised, or the US will withdraw. Kan Radio News reports that President Trump spoke last night with Netanyahu about the threats in the Middle East, primarily with regard to Iran.

Yedioth Ahronot reports that Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut met yesterday with Netanyahu to discuss the bill to curtail the High Court of Justice’s power. The meeting, which Netanyahu had requested and which was also attended by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Deputy Chief Justice Hanan Melcer, was meant to overcome their differences about the so-called override clause. The meeting notwithstanding, the Jewish Home Party intends to put the legislation to a vote in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation next week. Hayut said in the past in a legal forum, “the Supreme Court tries to exhaust every possible avenue so that there is no need for the intervention of the High Court of Justice. That said, that is not always possible, and in those cases, it does rule.” Ma’ariv adds that Hayut warned that “A 61-MK majority for re-legislating a law that was disqualified by the High Court of Justice will be a danger to democracy and to the court,” The Supreme Court president is of the opinion that there must be at least a 70-MK majority, a large majority that would require support from some of the opposition.

Maariv, Israel Hayom, and Yediot Ahronot report that the State Comptroller will examine the events surrounding the flood that killed 10 teenagers last week. Israel Hayom reported that even on the morning of the hike, the Academy was warned about weather conditions, and Yediot reported that a teen involved in the disaster sent a text sent to their parents which said “I was about to be washed away; Now I’m on the helicopter”.

Kan Radio News reports that representatives from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan met with the Japanese foreign minister in Amman last night to discuss the advancement of a joint project, the agricultural-industrial park in Jericho, that was launched over a decade ago. The park in Jericho was established with Japanese financing and 12 companies currently operate there. Japan hopes to increase that number and to add Japanese companies as well.

The Jerusalem Post reports that the PLO is to convene rare meeting of its parliament with several analysts saying Abbas and the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership are convening the National Council to attempt to consolidate the PA president’s power.

The Times of Israel reports on a Channel 10 News feature in which Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman castigated PA Chairman Abbas and his predecessors  for spurning opportunities for peace for 40 years and the Prince reportedly said that the Palestinians must make peace or shut up.

Ma’ariv reports that the formerly incarcerated Israeli-American Jonathan Pollard may be allowed to move to Israel.

Haaretz reports that the “Nationality Bill” is likely to pass its first reading today.