Both the Guardian online and the Independent online cover the murder yesterday of a 32-year-old Israeli man by a Palestinian at a junction in the West Bank. It was the first killing of an Israeli in the West Bank by a Palestinian since 2011. The assailant stabbed Evyatar Borovsky before opening fire on a Border Guards patrol, which returned fire, moderately wounding the attacker who is being treated in an Israeli hospital. Borovsky was laid to rest yesterday as unrest was reported in areas of the West Bank.

The Guardian, Independent, Evening Standard, Independent i and the online edition of the Financial Times report that Israel carried out a targeted assassination in the Gaza Strip yesterday for the first time since a ceasefire brought an end to Operation Pillar of Defence in November. The operation killed Hitham Mishal who Israel’s government said was responsible for a rocket attack last week on Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat. Mishal was affiliated with extreme Islamist Salafi organisations.

Meanwhile, the online edition of the Telegraph reports that Israel’s Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who will also head Israel’s delegation in future peace talks, welcomed the Arab League’s endorsement of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal which would include land swaps rather than rigid adherence to the 1967 borders.

The online editions of the Guardian, Times, Telegraph and Independent cover US President Obama’s comments during a press briefing yesterday over the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Obama indicated that although evidence suggests that such weapons were used in Syria, it is not yet strong enough in order to decide on what steps should be taken as a result. The Guardian and the online edition of the Financial Times report on comments made yesterday by Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, who hinted that his organisation would act to prevent the downfall of Syrian President Assad. It is widely thought that Hezbollah fighters are already operating alongside Assad’s troops. Meanwhile, the Telegraph online says that a massive explosion in the heart of the Syrian capital Damascus yesterday killed at least thirteen people.

The top story in Israel Hayom and Makor Rishon focuses on the murder of father of five, Evyatar Borovsky in the West Bank yesterday. It is also a major item in Haaretz, while the Israel Hayom headline reads “One knife, five orphans.” There is speculation in some titles that the assailant’s brother had been jailed by the Palestinian Authority for collaboration with Israel and that the attack was an attempt to clear his family’s name.

Yediot Ahronot and Haaretz lead with the surprise call-up of two thousand reservists for a 48-hour drill in the north of Israel, intended to simulate a war in Lebanon. Haaretz emphasises that Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon was not informed about the special exercise, for which Yediot Ahronot’s military analyst Alex Fishman criticises the IDF and warns that it may be an “ominous sign” of tension between the military and political echelons of the defence establishment.

The main story in Maariv is devoted to the softened stance of the Arab League over the potential borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state. The headline refers to the announcement as a “breakthrough” and says that the agreement to land swaps would allow Israel to retain control of major West Bank settlement blocs. Israel Radio news reports that Leader of the Opposition, Labour Party head Shelly Yachimovich said that the new Arab League stance should be considered seriously.