The online editions of the Guardian and Telegraph report that an Israeli soldier was killed yesterday in the West Bank city of Hebron by apparent sniper fire, close to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a site revered by both Jews and Muslims. Hebron, in which Israelis and Palestinians both reside, is often a violent flash-point and is particularly busy during the current Jewish holiday season. The killing comes just two days after another Israeli soldier was abducted and murdered by a Palestinian acquaintance in the West Bank, as reported by the Independent i and Telegraph online.

The Times says that Israeli security officials had long warned of the potential for a terror attack on the Westgate shopping centre in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, where a stand-off between terrorists and Kenyan armed forces continues. The report says that several of the restaurants and cafes in the centre are Israeli owned and the article outlines recent security cooperation between Israel and Kenya.

The Times, Financial Times and the online edition of the Telegraph cover ongoing diplomatic disputes over a proposed United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution regarding Syria’s chemical stockpile. All report that Russia is strongly opposing any resolution which would authorise the use of force against the Assad regime, as favoured by the United States, in the event that Syria fails to comply with demands to relinquish its chemical weapons. The online editions of the Guardian and Independent report that fighting continues in Syria itself, in which the Russian embassy was struck yesterday by mortar fire.

Meanwhile, the ongoing diplomacy regarding Syria is discussed by the Financial Times in the context of this week’s UN General Assembly in New York, as speculation grows that Iran’s President Hassan Rowhani will use the occasion to continue making conciliatory noises over Tehran’s nuclear programme. The Financial Times says that discussions over Syria’s chemical capability and Iran’s nuclear development will inevitably strongly impact on each other. The Independent, Telegraph and Independent i preview Rowhani’s appearance at the UN and cover speculation that a diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran could be achieved .The Telegraph suggests that a choreographed meeting between US President Obama and Rowhani could take place on the sidelines of the event. David Gardner in the Financial Times underscores Iran’s influence on the region but says any thawing of relations between the West and Tehran will need to be coordinated with Israel.

This morning’s headlines in the Israeli media focus on the killing of an Israeli soldier, Gavriel Kobi, in Hebron yesterday by sniper fire. It is the top story in Yediot Ahronot, Maariv, Haaretz and Israel Hayom, which says that a manhunt is underway for the perpetrator. Israel Radio news reports this morning that security officials do not necessarily believe that there is a connection between yesterday’s incident and the separate killing of Tomer Hazan, the soldier abducted and killed by a Palestinian man over the weekend. Writing in Maariv, Ben-Dror Yemini says that despite the two killings, attacks against Israelis have decreased over recent years and warns that with peace talks underway, “Contrary to the myth prevalent in certain circles, terrorism does not fight the occupation; rather, it actually fights reconciliation and the chance for peace.”

Meanwhile, both Haaretz and Yediot Ahronot claim that Israel is aiding the Kenyan government to resolve the stand-off in a Nairobi shopping centre between Islamist terrorists and Kenyan security forces. Israel Hayom also covers the ongoing siege.