The Financial Times (FT) is covering the lead up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the UK, which takes place today and tomorrow. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Cameron on Thursday to discuss bilateral and Middle East-related issues. Trade between the two countries has deepened over the last year, reaching $5.8bn in 2014, an 8 per cent from 2013 figures. However, disagreements remain about the stagnant peace process between Israel and the Palestinians and the on going deliberations within the EU to label products made in the West Bank.

BBC last night reported that President Obama has secured enough support in the US Senate to pre-empt the passing of a resolution against the nuclear deal with Iran. With more than 40 Democratic senators siding with the president, the Republicans lack the 60 votes they need to ensure that the vote cannot be filibustered and prevented. Such a step would ensure that Obama did not have to use his veto power at all.

The Guardian claims that a British “hit list” of Jihadis has existed for some time and that British unmanned drones have been flying in the skies over Syria for months looking for UK citizens fighting for ISIS and other groups in the hopes of killing them. The practice of using drones as part of targeted killing operations, which has used in the past by both the United Stated and Israel, has stirred public debate in the UK in recent days. In related news, the i Independent reports that Switzerland’s parliament voted in favour of a plan to buy six Israeli surveillance drones worth 250 million Swiss francs (£166m) this week.

In the last 24-hour, two leading papers take a look at two important aspects of the civil war and humanitarian crisis in Syria as they refer to the UK and Europe. The Independent questions whether the diverging approaches to the refugee challenge by different European countries could “bring about the break up of the EU”, especially as it coincides with other significant challenges: “Greek debt and the survival of the Eurozone; EU reform and Britain’s in/out referendum next year”. At the same time, the Financial Times asks: “What can be done about the bloodbath in Syria?” and quotes Steven Cook, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington DC, who told the FT that there is no “good option”. “What they are struggling with in Europe is the same as in the US: the evolution of the conflict in Syria provides no clear or good options. It is a massively unsatisfactory answer but the truth is that every time we do something we will make something else worse. The picture of refugees is changing the politics but it will not alter the military reality.”

For the first time in four years, Turkish forces have crossed into northern Iraq as part of their fight against Kurdish separatists, according to today’s Times. Turkish Special Forces conducted a “short-term operation” and the air force bombed a PKK mountain stronghold as the government claimed that it had targeted the people involved in Sunday’s attack in Hakkari province, which left 16 Turkish soldiers dead.

An apparent drive-by shooting has taken place this morning in the West Bank, according to the Times of Israel. A woman driving her car just south of the city of Nablus was shot at from a passing vehicle. She was treated for shock but was not wounded in the incident.

As President Obama secured 41 votes in the US Senate in favour of the nuclear deal with Iran, Haaretz reports this morning that officials close to Prime Minister Netanyahu continue to assert that Israeli efforts should not be seen as a failure. They point to the fact that the majority of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the American public still oppose the deal and that this is, to a large degree, the result of Netanyahu’s work on the issue.

Israeli radio reported this morning on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s departure for the UK today as he begins a two-day official visit to London. During the visit, Netanyahu will meet Prime Minister David Cameron and discuss bilateral ties and common challenges the two countries face in the areas of security, cyber-security and economy.

Haaretz reported overnight that the United States has added senior Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists to its blacklist. The new additions include Samir Kuntar, who was released from Israeli prison as part of a swap in 2008, and Muhammad Deif, the Gaza-based head of Hamas’s military wing.

Yesterday and today, Israel has been enveloped in a cloud of haze and sand, the worst in September in 75 years, according to Ynet and was featured centrally in the Israeli news over the last 24 hours. The sandy haze was so severe that Haaretz reported that the Syrian air force was grounded, bringing about a brief break the battle in Syria.

NRG reported yesterday afternoon that Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to appoint Tzahi Hanegbi as the new communications minister after the budget is approved. This is a continuation of the reshuffle is the government. Hanegbi currently serves as the chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.