BBC News, the Guardian, Telegraph and Times report that US President Donald Trump approved retaliatory military strikes against Iran after Iran shot down a US navy drone before changing his mind. The operation was allegedly under way “in its early stages” when Trump stood the US military down. This follows several comments made by Trump about the drone incident earlier on Thursday. “Iran made a big mistake,” he said, alleging the US had evidence the drone was in international airspace when it was shot down. Asked about whether or not he would go to war with Iran, the president repeatedly replied: “You’ll find out”. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed the attack had sent “a clear message” to the US.

The Independent and Reuters report that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has said that Gaza ceasefire agreements with Israel were in a “danger zone” and rejected next week’s US-brokered Bahrain workshop, saying it would amount to Arab “normalisation” of ties with Israel. Haniyeh also warned that Palestinians would turn to “armed resistance” if Israel attempted to annex the West Bank. Haniyeh called on Bahrain’s King Hamad “not to hold this workshop”, saying Palestinians across the territories would hold massive demonstrations during the event. Haniyeh also blamed the Israelis for stalling the peace process, citing several points including the failure of electricity and water projects due to bans on the import of materials into the Strip. He also referenced the restrictions on the distance into the sea Gaza fishermen are permitted to fish.

Reuters reports that Palestinian businessmen boycotting the Bahrain workshop designed to encourage investment in the territories say only a diplomatic path to statehood can end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The US has billed the gathering as an economic overture to its long-delayed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, widely referred to as President Trump’s “deal of the century”. “Our case is political, 100 percent. It’s not economic,” said Palestinian tech company executive Murad Tahboub.

Reuters reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the international community to support the US against Iran as tensions between the two countries continue to intensify. “In the last 24 hours Iran has intensified its aggression against the United States and against all of us. And I repeat my call for all peace-loving countries to stand by the United States in its effort to stop Iranian aggression,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

The Independent reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the prospect of armed conflict between the US and Iran as a “catastrophe” that would lead to a spike in violence and increase in refugee numbers. Putin described Iran as “a Shiite nation […] ready to defend their country to the hilt.” “It’s very difficult to assess what will happen if military forces are engaged,” he said. “I very much hope that events do not follow such a scenario.”

Reuters reports that senior officials from Iran, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia will meet on June 28 to discuss how to save the JCPOA. The meeting will look at how to “tackle challenges arising from the withdrawal and re-imposition of sanctions by the United States on Iran” and consider “recent announcements by Iran regarding the implementation of its nuclear commitments”, the European Union said in a statement.

BBC News, the Financial Times and Reuters report that the US Senate has voted to block the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia. President Trump bypassed Congress last month in an attempt to push through the $8bn (£6bn) deal, citing threats to Saudi Arabia from Iran. But on Thursday, the Senate passed three resolutions to prevent the sale, though the president has promised to veto the action. The first and second resolutions of disapproval passed by a margin of 53-45 and a third vote passed by 51-45 votes. While the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives is also likely to vote to block the sale, analysts say Congress will not have the necessary votes to override a presidential veto.

BBC News, the Guardian, Independent and Financial Times report that Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) have won a legal challenge to the UK government’s decision to allow arms sales to Saudi Arabia. CAAT argued that the decision to continue to license military equipment for export to the Gulf state was unlawful as there was a ‘clear risk’ that the arms might be used in a serious violation of international humanitarian law. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said that the government would not grant any new licences for export to Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners while it considers the implications of the judgment.

The Financial Times and Reuters report that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that Turkey will take delivery of a Russian S-400 air defence system in the first half of July and that the US would not retaliate by hitting Turkey with sanctions. Erdogan said the controversial Russian acquisition was “a done deal”. US officials have issued a series of increasingly vocal warnings to Turkey, a Nato member, over its plan to buy the S-400 defence system, which they say poses a threat to the security of the new US-made F-35 fighter jet that is being rolled out across Europe. But Erdogan said delivery was imminent, with the training of 100 military personnel complete and the position of the missile batteries decided.

Reuters reports that oil prices soared by more than 5% after Iran shot down a US navy drone. Expectations that the US Federal Reserve could cut interest rates at its next meeting, stimulating growth in the world’s largest oil-consuming country, and a drop in US crude inventories also supported prices.

Michael Daventry writes in the JC that the sanctions are biting but are unlikely to sway Iran. “We’re in for a long, hot summer in the Strait of Hormuz”.

The Israeli media reports increased tension between the US and Iran. Yediot Ahronot says that Israeli officials fear that in the case of a military clash between the US and Iran, Tehran will decide to hit Israeli targets and perhaps use Hezbollah and its people in the Gaza Strip. Another possibility being taken into account is an Iranian attempt to commit terrorist attacks against Israeli or Jewish targets throughout the world. High-ranking security officials said last night that they were concerned that a weak American response to the latest Iranian provocations was liable to cause the Iranians to continue and even increase their provocations. Officials in Jerusalem explained that the Iranians had reached the conclusion that President Trump would do everything possible to avoid a war and therefore were permitting themselves to walk the edge.

Nahum Barnea in Yediot Ahronot writes: “The Iranian regime is all the terrible things that we think about it —a regime that exports terrorism, a regime that is murderous both at home and abroad, messianic, dangerous to Israel and to the region. But it cannot be denied two things: it has a strategy and it has the willingness to fight. These are two things in which President Trump is weak: strategy and a willingness to fight. During his term, he initiated a series of clashes with foreign countries, some of them allies. Each clash began with a series of threatening, lethal tweets. Then came the negotiation stage, which sometimes ended with an agreement that was basically no different from the agreement from which he had withdrawn (Mexico, Canada) or an ongoing crisis (China, North Korea). “If Iran wants to fight,” Trump threatened, “that will be the official end of Iran.” The Iranians, it transpires, did not panic. They chose to tell Trump, with their actions, the immortal line by Eli Wallach from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: “When you have to shoot, shoot, don’t talk.” Trump does not want to shoot—not in North Korea, not in Iran, not even in Ramallah. That’s understandable. But again and again, it emerges that he thinks that his threats, as well as economic sanctions, have an impact that they don’t have. What is the goal, quite a few Americans asked yesterday. Is Trump aiming to topple the Iranian regime? —that is National Security Advisor John Bolton’s aspiration—or is the goal an improved agreement? The desired solution is an agreement that would block the Iranian missile program and Iran’s involvement in foreign countries and perhaps also extend the nuclear agreement. That won’t happen and in the meantime, both the ayatollahs and Trump are adopting positions from which they will find it hard to back down.”

Maariv interview former Mossad chief Shabtai Shavit who declared: “I won’t stay in Smotrich’s Israel for one minute.”  The paper also includes responses to the interview from across the political spectrum, particularly relating to his comment that: “Netanyahu’s voters are mindless and understand nothing, their standards are very low.”  The paper quotes Prime Minister Netanyahu on Twitter saying: “They called us riffraff, amulet-kissers, bots, and now mindless. The left’s condescension toward the Likud voters knows no bounds. Our rebuttal will come in the polls.”  Gabi Ashkenazi from the Blue and White Party said: “There are no grounds for disrespecting citizens who cast their ballots.” Outgoing Labour Party leader Avi Gabbay said: “Shabtai Shavit and condescending people like him built up the Likud’s rule and are the main people who have been maintaining it. They are causing many Israelis to vote based on identity and not based on their positions. Thinking and voting differently is legitimate, and anyone who does not respect the Likud voters only strengthens the Likud.”

Maariv reports a poll that says Likud MK Gideon Saar is Likud voters’ favourite candidate to lead the party if Prime Minister Netanyahu is compelled at some stage to step down.  According to the poll, which was conducted by the Maagar Mohot Polling Institute, Saar leads among Likud voters with 33% support, ahead of Yisrael Katz’s 29%, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein’s 16% and Gilad Erdan’s 6%. Ten percent of Likud voters believe that Ayelet Shaked should lead the party, if and when Netanyahu is forced to resign. The general public paints a similar picture: Saar leads with 27% support, ahead of Katz and Edelstein with 19%, Shaked with 13% and Erdan with only 2%.

According to the poll, if the Knesset election were held today, the Likud-led right-wing bloc would win only 60 seats and would fail to form a coalition. According to the poll, the Likud would win 34 seats, United Torah Judaism would win eight, Shas eight, the Union of Right-Wing Parties six, and the New Right four, for a total of 60 seats for the right-wing bloc. Lieberman would win eight seats, three more than in the outgoing Knesset, and in keeping with his declarations he could force the Likud and Blue and White to form a unity government. The centre-left bloc would win 52 seats: Blue and White would win 33 seats, Hadash-Taal six, Meretz five, and Raam-Balad and the Labour Party would receive four each. The poll was conducted yesterday by an online panel among a sample of 501 participants aged 18 and over. The margin of error is 4 per cent.

Ynet reports that Israel’s Arab parties have announced the return of the joint list on which they ran during the 2015 elections. This will include all four parties – Balad, Hadash, Ra’am and Ta’al.  They released a joint statement that said: “Most of the Arab citizens want a joint list. As such, we have put in the effort to come together as one party instead of splitting into two.”  Representing the four parties at the meeting were Mansur Dehamshe of Hadash; Ossma Saadi of Ta’al; Dr. Ibrahim Hijazi of Ra’am; and Dr. Jamal Zahalka of Balad. The representatives agreed to begin a public campaign right away.  In the April elections, the four parties ran as two lists – Ra’am with Balad and Hadash with Ta’al. Both lists won enough seats to enter the Knesset, but the Ra’am-Balad list narrowly squeaked past the threshold with four seats. Hadash-Ta’al got six seats, bringing the total number of Knesset members for the Arab community to 10.  In the 2015 elections the joint list won 13 seats.