The Times includes a report that claims that Jordan has granted Israel permission to operate drones in its airspace in order to monitor movements and developments in Syria. Apparently, the Israeli drones are intended to primarily collect information on chemical and conventional weapons movement but are also capable of bearing missiles. The article suggests that the agreement is part of an extremely closely coordinated effort by the United States, Israel, Jordan and Turkey to contain the violence in Syria.

The online edition of the Financial Times covers US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel’s two-day visit to Israel. The article reviews a new multi-billion US arms deal with Israel, which Hagel yesterday said underscores the Obama administration’s commitment to enhancing Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region.

The Guardian online and the Independent online report that forces loyal to Syria’s President Assad have carried out a massacre of around 350 people in the Damascus countryside. Foreign Secretary William Hague described it as a reminder of Assad’s “callous brutality.” The Independent online also notes that the European Union has eased an oil embargo on Syria, enabling member states to purchase oil from opposition held areas. The Telegraph online says that Hezbollah fighters have on Assad’s behalf essentially taken full control of an offensive to capture a strategic town near Homs. Meanwhile, the Financial Times online includes an interview with the chief commander of the opposition Free Syrian Army, who says Western concerns that a supply of arms would fall the hands of opposition extreme Islamist groups are overblown.

The agreement to end the Israeli airport workers strike dominates Israel media this morning. All the newspapers carrying the news of a deal in which the state will pick up the tab for 97.5% of the Israeli airlines security costs, allowing the airlines to better compete with international competitors under the new open skies agreement. Maariv reports that the deal was done by El Al and Finance Minister Yair Lapid behind the back of the trade union leader Ofer Eini.

Competing for space on the front pages are reports from yesterday’s opening session of the Knesset.  Haaretz highlights Finance Minister Yair Lapid harsh exchanges with members of ultra-Orthodox parties, telling that that parents and not the state must first and foremost take responsibility for children they bring into the world. Reports are emerging of the proposed government budget, which will raise taxes and cut child benefits and stipends to yeshivot (religious seminaries) to close a growing budget deficit.

Israeli media also pick up the story broken by Israeli Channel 2 News last night of a suspected Iranian plot against the Israeli embassy in Nepal, with Israel Hayom and the Jerusalem Post featuring the story on their front pages.

In other news, Maariv highlights on-going developments in the Syrian civil war and its spill over into Lebanon, whilst Israel Radio this morning reports on comments by IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz at a policy conference in Tel Aviv, in which he talked about the expanding threat from the disintegration of Syria.