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Media Summary

19/01/2015

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The Times, Guardian, Independent, Independent i and the online edition of the Telegraph all cover a reported Israeli air strike against a Hezbollah squad on the Syrian Golan Heights near the Israeli border. The Hezbollah squad was reportedly planning an attack on Israeli civilians and soldiers. Although Israel would not confirm the operation, Hezbollah said that several of its fighters were killed, including Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of senior Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in 2008, presumably by Israel, for which Hezbollah has long vowed revenge.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph online reports that ISIS fighters are massing along the Syria-Lebanon border and could soon launch significant attacks inside Lebanon.

The Times says that Hamas is test firing rockets in the Gaza Strip and rebuilding tunnels there aimed at attacking Israel. A ceasefire brought an end to Operation Protective Edge in August and has largely held firm, but Israel has since then reported that Hamas has been rebuilding its military capability. The report also notes that Egypt has created a buffer zone along its border with Gaza, in order to guard against weapons smuggling and infiltration of Hamas terrorists.

The Guardian online reports that Egypt’s ousted president and Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi appeared in an Egyptian court yesterday accused of espionage including collaboration with foreign enemies such as Hamas. Morsi yesterday challenged the court’s authority and that of President al-Sisi who he accuses of having staged a coup against him.

The Telegraph says that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday warned against the increasing “Islamisation” of Europe. Speaking during the visit of Japan’s Foreign Minister, Netanyahu made the case for increased trade with the Far East, given what he believes is increasing hostility towards Israel in Europe.

The Telegraph, Independent i, Daily Mail and Metro all report on controversy from the Miss World pageant in Miami, where Miss Lebanon has faced criticism for appearing in the same “selfie” as Miss Israel. Contacts with Israel and Israelis are largely banned in Lebanon and in her defence the beauty queen claims that Miss Israel “photo-bombed” the shot against her wishes.

The Metro includes a travel review of Tel Aviv, which talks glowingly of the city’s vibrancy and openness, commenting on the fact that with just 400,000 residents, Tel Aviv has become the second largest economic hub in the Middle East.

In the Israeli media, the air strike yesterday which killed a number of Hezbollah operatives and also reportedly included Iranian Revolutionary Guards is the top story in Yediot Ahronot, Israel Hayom, Maariv and Haaretz, which reports tension in northern Israel as a result of the operation. There is plenty of commentary on the potential response to yesterday’s strike. Writing in Maariv, Alon Ben-David says, “There is no way that Hezbollah will take such a blow without a response” and so “the question is not whether Hezbollah will respond, it is how, where and when.” However, in Yediot Ahronot, Alex Fishman comments, “Whoever decided on yesterday’s strike probably assessed that it was in Hezbollah’s interest to respond with moderation, given the fact that it is spread out over all fronts.”

Meanwhile, Maariv and Israel Hayom both report a discrepancy regarding last week’s Jewish Home primary to select Knesset candidates, with the number of forms and the number of votes counted unequal. The party’s elections committee is apparently investigating the matter.