The Financial Times reports that the European Union has called an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers as Turkey’s escalating conflict with the Syrian regime risks creating a new refugee crisis. The Independent reports that Turkey has opened its borders with Greece to more than 100,000 migrants and refugees in an apparent attempt to pressure the EU over the crisis in Syria.

BBC News reports that 19 Syrian soldiers have been killed in Turkish drone strikes on Idlib, a UK-based monitor has said. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the attacks targeted a military convoy and an army base amid increasing violence. The Telegraph, The Associated Press, Reuters, The Financial Times, The Times and The Guardian report that Turkey claimed to have shot down two Syrian army fighter jets on Sunday in retaliation for an attack on a drone, as Ankara heaped pressure on Europe to open its borders to more refugees.

The Guardian, BBC News, The Telegraph, Reuters and the Associated Press report that Israelis have begun voting in the country’s third election within a year in a fight Benjamin Netanyahu is desperate to win on the eve of a criminal corruption trial against him. The Times reports that Israel’s Arab minority, which makes up 21% of the population, holds the key to Netanyahu’s electoral fate. Reuters reports that Arab lawmakers are urging their communities to turn out in greater numbers to show their opposition to the Trump plan, which proposes redrawing borders to put some Arab towns and villages outside Israel and into the area assigned to a future Palestinian state. The Jewish Chronicle reports that polling stations are open until 8pm UK time, whilst 16 special polling stations were set up for Israelis who may have been exposed to coronavirus.

The Guardian, Reuters and The Independent report that humans rights issues, Houthi rebel advances and threats to end humanitarian aid in Yemen will lead Dominic Raab’s agenda when he makes his first visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday.

The Independent reports that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman detained in Iran, has contracted suspected novel coronavirus, her husband has said. BBC News reports that at least 210 people in Iran have died as a result of the new coronavirus disease, sources in the country’s health system have told BBC Persian, far exceeding the regime’s official figures positing 34 deaths. The Associated Press reports that a member of a council that advises Iran’s supreme leader died after falling sick from coronavirus on Monday, state radio reported, becoming the first top official to succumb to the illness.

Reuters reports that Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi withdrew his candidacy for the post on Sunday, accusing political parties of obstructing him, deepening a domestic crisis and threatening an unprecedented power vacuum.

At Sky News, Dominic Waghorn argues Turkey’s willingness to use Syrian refugees on its European border as leverage to entice the EU into action against Russia and the Assad regime ‘smacks of desperation’, as Ankara appears to be running out of ideas.

Israel’s election dominates the Israeli media. In Yediot Ahronot, Nahum Barnea writes: “Netanyahu seemingly should have been able to win these elections easily…He gave the same speeches in the run-up to the last two elections, but was nevertheless unable to form a government. He pins the blame for that on others: the police, the State Attorney’s Office, the media, Liberman and Blue and White. He’s wrong. The reasons for his inability are first and foremost with him.” He concludes that Netanyahu is: “Banking on 61 seats that will give him a right-wing government. A government of that kind will be controlled by the settlers and the Ultra- Orthodox, Smotrich and Litzman. The attack on the law enforcement system will only worsen; without doing that, Netanyahu won’t be able to pass the French bill [legislation to prevent his prosecution] and the override clause. Conversely, a minority government with Blue and White, Liberman and Peretz-Meretz will have a hard time surviving. It won’t be able to count on the Arabs abstaining. The internal unity within Blue and White, which stems from rejecting Netanyahu, will disappear if and when Blue and White ever has to run a government. The solution is a unity government without Netanyahu. Is a solution of that kind possible? That is something we will only know tomorrow, and we might not even know then.”

In Israel Hayom, Amnon Lord writes: “Anyone who wants to see the same policies pursued on the Palestinian issue in keeping with the Trump plan should vote for the Likud. Anyone who thinks we need more negotiations with Abu Mazen, more concessions and, of course, the loss of any opportunity to apply sovereignty to strategic tracts of land should vote for Benny Gantz….. Prime Minister Netanyahu successfully positioned himself within the conflict of interest between the closer circle of Arab countries and the Palestinians. The leaders of the Middle East want to see him remain in power because Netanyahu is a pillar of stability in the region, keeping chaos restricted to northern Syria and Iraq. The Palestinians, Hamas and Abu Mazen are agents of chaos in the service of Iran and anti-Israel forces in the world. As such, they want to see Netanyahu fall from power.”

Chemi Shalev in Haaretz writes: “A clear-cut Netanyahu victory means that his putsch succeeded: The only democracy in the Middle East will begin a steady slide to an autocratic regime no different than others. In the eyes of many of his opponents, a vote for Netanyahu is tantamount to a stab in Israel’s back.  A decisive victory by Benny Gantz won’t bring any quick fix to Israel’s struggles and might actually spark greater tensions in the short term. Ultimately, however, a Gantz victory ensures the return of a semblance of sanity and moderation and, in the longer term, much to the dismay of Gantz’s leftist supporters, an alliance between Blue and White and a post-Netanyahu Likud. The common basis for mutual coexistence between left and right will be restored.  A third straight stalemate may be seen as the lesser evil for preventing Netanyahu from implementing his despotic designs but it nonetheless inflicts its own severe damage. The prospect of four straight elections will prolong current government paralysis, sow frustration and despondency and further erode public confidence in politics and democracy.”