Several dailies cover reports that Israel’s air force carried out a strike on a military base near the Syrian port city of Latakia, in order to prevent sophisticated weapons being transferred to Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon. The Times suggests that the raid was Israel’s fifth on such weaponry in Syria since January while the Independent, Telegraph and the online edition of the Guardian also cover the story, citing reports of the air strike by CNN and in the Arabic media.

Meanwhile, the Independent i and online editions of the Guardian, Telegraph, Times, Independent and Financial Times all cover confirmation by the international team of chemical weapons experts in Syria that the Assad regime has met the deadline to dismantle the means of producing and mixing chemical weapons. They must now agree a timetable on destroying an estimated 1,000 tonnes of developed chemical stockpiles.

The online edition of the Telegraph reports on an overnight skirmish near the Gaza border between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen. The Israeli soldiers were attempting to destroy part of a complex tunnel built by Hamas which was uncovered last month traversing beneath the border into Israel with the intention of launching an attack. Five Israeli soldiers are reported to have been injured by a mortar shell while carrying out the operation and a Palestinian is thought to have been killed.

The Independent online reports on rumours in the Israeli media that the two lead Palestinian negotiators in current peace talks, Saeb Erekat and Mohammed Stayyeh have threatened to resign due to a lack of progress in talks and the announcement by Israel’s government to accelerate existing construction plans in areas of Jerusalem beyond the pre-1967 borders. In the Times, Stephen Pollard provides a preview of a Jewish Chronicle interview with Israeli analyst Gershon Baskin who suggests that far from being deadlocked, significant progress is being made in the peace talks. The Independent has an in-depth interview with former MK and veteran peace activist 90-year-old Uri Avnery, who says that peace is still possible in his lifetime.

In the Financial Times, David Gardner opines that despite the serious impact of international sanctions, Iran’s geopolitical fortunes are improving greatly thanks to both a potential detente with the West and the failure of Sunni Islamism in Egypt, while Tehran has shored up its position in Syria and Lebanon.

The alleged Israeli air strike in Syria preventing the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah is the major item in this morning’s Israeli media. It is a prominent story in Israel Hayom and Haaretz while Yediot Ahronot and Maariv focus on the confirmation by a United States official to CNN that Israel carried out the attack. Yediot Ahronot says that Israeli officials are dismayed at the US admission and Alex Fishman suggests it was a deliberate action by the United States “with the aim of sabotaging Israeli defence policy.”

Maariv says the Palestinian Authority (PA) is weighing its options following the announcement by Israel this week that existing construction plans would be advanced in areas of Jerusalem beyond the pre-1967 borders. Apparently the PA is considering appealing to the International Criminal Court on the basis that settlement construction be defined as a war crime.

The security cabinet decision yesterday to approve a decrease in cuts to the defence budget is reported prominently in Sof Hashavua and Yediot Ahronot. Maariv also covers this item and focuses on the disagreement between the defence establishment and Finance Minister Yair Lapid over the issue.

Israel Radio news, Israel Hayom and Yediot Ahronot report on the skirmish which took place last night on the Israel-Gaza border in which five Israeli soldiers were wounded and one Palestinian died.