The Telegraph, BBC News and Reuters reports that 270,000 Syrians have been displaced since President Bashar al Assad and his allies began an “assault on the southern province of Deraa on June 19”. Reuters reports that the United Nations “have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the southwest” that could continue to escalate in the coming weeks.  While Jordan has accepted ‘more than half a million’ refugees, they have reportedly stated that, alongside Israel, they will not be opening their borders for the recent influx of refugees.

The Daily Mail reports that Iranian Commander Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali, has accused Israel of “stealing” Iran’s clouds and causing a drought. Iran’s head of meteorological service Ahad Vazife expressed disbelief over the idea that the theft of clouds was to blame for the current drought, and instead pointed to the global climate change issues that have caused adverse effects for Iran. The Daily Mail notes that this is not the first time that Iranian officials have blamed other countries for their weather conditions, reporting that former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused western countries of causing droughts in 2011.

The Daily Mail via AP reports on a speech delivered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in which he spoke out in defence of his wife, Sara, who had been charged with fraud and breach of trust. The allegations arose following accusations of “extravagant living and abusive behaviour” and the misuse of state funds. Netanyahu has continued to refute the charges and said that his wife was dealing with the accusations “with dignity and was buoyed by public support”.

The Daily Mail via AP report that Israeli police are investigating a Greek Orthodox priest, Father Gabriel Naddaf. A gag order was partially lifted on Monday and while the nature of the charge remains unknown, the police have said that Father Gabriel has been under investigation for “more than a year”.  Father Gabriel is well known and respected by Israeli nationalists who have previously championed his attempts to promote the enlistment of Christian Arabs into the IDF.

Channel 4 News aired a report on Monday highlighting the continued plight of Syrian refugees. The report mentions the issues surrounding the refusal of Jordan and Israel to accept refugees that have fled to the border.  While the IDF have expressed their commitment to increase humanitarian aid to Syria their have maintained their stance to refuse entry of refugees into Israeli territory.

The Israeli media focus on the passing in its first reading of the Conscription Bill. The Knesset plenum passed the bill by a majority of 63 MKs in favour and 39 opposed, including most of the Haredi MKs.

Yedioth Ahronot focus on what it terms ‘The Haredim’s Double Game’ of opposing the bill but taking action to ensure it passed. The paper writes that United Torah Judaism (UTJ) MKs took a count yesterday to make sure that it would pass, with one coalition MK saying Moshe Gafni came to him personally to ensure he voted in favour. In an opinion piece, Sima Kadmon writes that “what we witnessed in the Knesset yesterday was just politics. And even if the motives were hidden and the interests were covered up, we can be absolutely certain that all sides were looking out firstly for the sector whose support they need, or in short – survival”. Israel Hayom argues that the Ultra-Orthodox are actually pleased with the bill.

Haaretz and Times of Israel report that the Knesset yesterday passed a law to freeze funds to the Palestinian Authority over payments to security prisoners. The law stipulates that every year the defence minister will submit to the security cabinet a report summarising the transfer of funds from the PA to prisoners and their families. According to former head of the Shin Bet, Likud MK Avi Dichter, the PA each year transfers US$333.3m to security prisoners and their families, constituting seven per cent of the PA’s budget.

Maariv reports that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot recently appointed the outgoing director of the IDF Operations Division, Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, to the position of IDF special manager for everything concerning the campaign against Iran. This is the first time that the IDF has appointed a “project manager for Iranian affairs,” who is supposed to coordinate the Israeli campaign against the state of the ayatollahs in every sector: the fight against the nuclear program, coordinating and gathering intelligence, and the campaign against Iranian entrenchment in Syria. Previously, former Mossad director Meir Dagan held the “Iran portfolio” at the behest of prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, but that only related to intelligence alone during his tenure. Now that Israel and Iran have engaged in open warfare on the ground, including military confrontations, the appointment of a “special manager” illustrates the gravity that Israeli officials ascribe to Iran.

Haaretz reports that the security establishment fears Iran will attempt to attack high-ranking Israelis abroad. On Monday, Israel News reported that the director of the Shin Bet security services, Nadav Argaman, met last week former Prime Minister Ehud Barak to discuss his personal security. Barak frequently holds meetings abroad and is sometimes protected only by his personal handgun. Barak and the Shin Bet did not respond to the report.

The Jerusalem Post reports that a newly released German intelligence report from the state of Bavaria concluded that the Islamic Republic of Iran is working to turn its conventional military weapons into a system for weapons of mass destruction.