US President Obama’s efforts to generate Congressional support for military action against the Assad regime are widely covered this morning. The Guardian and Telegraph report that Obama has made progress in winning the important backing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Republican House of Representatives leadership, while the Times says that although Obama has agreed that action will stop short of a ground operation, he intends to step up aid to Syrian rebels fighting Assad. The Independent follows a similar theme, reporting that Obama plans to “degrade Assad’s capabilities” and that the first CIA-trained unit of Syrian rebels is ready for action. The Financial Times meanwhile suggests that the upcoming Congressional vote could prove damaging to the US Democratic Party that appears split over military action. In the Guardian, Jonathan Freedland argues that Obama must act against Assad with the US President’s credibility now on the line.

The Financial Times says that Prime Minister David Cameron will use this week’s G20 meeting in St Petersburg to push for diplomatic progress in Syria and the provision of greater humanitarian aid to the country. The Telegraph online reports that German intelligence recorded a conversation in which a Hezbollah representative described Assad’s use of chemical weapons as a “big mistake” in discussion with Iranian officials. Hezbollah and Iran are considered Assad’s closest regional allies.

The Guardian, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Evening Standard and the online editions of the Independent and Financial Times report that Israel yesterday successfully tested an anti-missile defence system using a practice target. The test that Israel’s Defence Ministry said was conducted as a routine joint operation with the United States was picked up by a Russian radar system. The Pentagon said that the test was unconnected to US deliberations over military action in Syria.

The online edition of the Guardian covers a United Nations’ report that claims that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is losing approximately £193m annually due to discrepancies in tax calculations involving Israel, especially VAT revenue. Meanwhile, the same publication also reports that Israel’s Education Ministry has ordered the removal of sex education sections from textbooks destined for children under fifteen in state religious schools. Some have claimed that this is evidence of growing ultra-Orthodox influence in Israel.

Ahead of the Jewish New Year national holiday, this morning’s Israeli newspapers include a variety of special interviews and surveys. Yediot Ahronot interviews Karnit Flug, the long-time Deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel who speaks out about being overlooked for the role of governor itself, which remains vacant. Maariv headlines a survey that indicates that sixty three per cent of Israelis have named Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid as the most disappointing political leader of the year. Meanwhile, a poll in Sof Hashavua suggests that fifty seven per cent of Israelis don’t count on the United States to protect the country in the event of an emergency.

Several publications, in particular Israel Hayom, highlight yesterday’s test of Israel’s Arrow missile defence system, which was detected by Russian radar, causing brief alarm given the tension surrounding a possible Western strike on Syria. Writing in Maariv, Amir Rapaport says that the test had been planned well in advance and that “The bottom line is that the test was successful… and it didn’t change the very tense situation with Syria.” Both Haaretz and Israel Hayom cover comments made by US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday, who argued that Iran is waiting to see how the United States tackles Assad’s use of chemical weapons.