Diplomatic efforts to agree on a plan for Syrian chemical disarmament is the major item this morning. The Guardian reports that US President Barack Obama has welcomed a “significant” Russian proposal on the issue. However, the Times says that the United States is demanding swift Syrian action to dismantle its chemical stockpile, emphasising that military action remains a possibility. The Independent focuses on the difficulties of French attempts to draft a resolution on the issue for adoption by the United Nations’ Security Council. The Telegraph highlights the importance of a meeting today in Geneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in order to create a momentum for Syria’s chemical disarmament. The Financial Times also covers developments while the Daily Express mentions comments made by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said that Syria’s chemical weapons must be removed and that Iran is watching closely.

Both the Guardian and the online edition of the Telegraph say that Syrian opposition groups are deeply disappointed by the United States’ climb down from military action against the Assad regime. Writing in the Financial Times, David Gardner argues that Assad is unlikely to give up his chemical weapons despite current diplomatic efforts, as Syria’s conflict is a war of survival for his regime. In the Guardian, Timothy Garton Ash says that the American reluctance to use military force signals the United States’ retreat from global leadership, a development that the rest of the world will come to regret.

The Telegraph and the online edition of the Financial Times report that at least nine Egyptian soldiers were killed yesterday in two suicide bomb attacks in the northern Sinai Peninsula as the Egyptian military continues to tackle Islamist groups in the area. Meanwhile, according to the Independent i, the Hamas authority in the neighbouring Gaza Strip has instructed Muslim clerics to temper their criticism of Egypt’s military rulers with Hamas facing increasing isolation in the region.

The Guardian reports that documents leaked by Edward Snowden show that the United States’ National Security Agency shares raw intelligence data with Israel without first removing information on US citizens. The Times, Guardian and Independent cover a financial settlement agreed between Israel and the family of ‘Prisoner X’ Ben Zygier who killed himself in Israeli custody. Although Israel’s Justice Ministry emphasised that the deal did not amount to an admission of negligence during custody, it ended the prospect of a court case that could have exposed sensitive information. The Guardian also reports that Israeli military investigators have closed an investigation without bringing charges against security personnel over the shooting of a Palestinian protestor who died in 2009 due to lack of evidence. The Independent covers the case of an Israeli academic suing the Unison union over racial discrimination, after Unison cancelled his appearance at a conflict resolution workshop in Manchester on the grounds that he is Israeli.

The headlines in the Israeli media largely focus on a speech delivered yesterday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who addressed the diplomatic attempts to enforce the dismantlement of Syria’s chemical weapons. Makor Rishon simply says “Israel tells West: Disarm Assad of Chemical Weapons,” while Maariv, Haaretz and Israel Hayom focus on Netanyahu’s statement that whatever happens in Syria will be keenly heard in Iran. Commentator Udi Segal said on Channel Two last night that Netanyahu’s comments amounted to “unveiled criticism” of President Obama’s shift in position over tackling Syria.

Haaretz and Israel Hayom cover the Guardian report that the IDF’s Unit 8200 received unfiltered raw intelligence on US citizens from the US National Security Agency, including phone conversations and e-mail exchanges. Meanwhile, Yediot Ahronot, Maariv and Israel Hayom continue to highlight features on the Yom Kippur War with the fortieth anniversary of its outbreak falling this weekend.