The Guardian and Financial Times report on Tuesday’s Syrian presidential election; it was described by much of the international community as farcical, given that opponents of the regime were effectively barred from voting. President Assad reportedly won 88.7 per cent of the vote, granting him another seven year term in power, although the country’s brutal civil war continues to rage. The Financial Times notes that opposition forces seeking his removal fired rockets on Damascus and areas of Aleppo during Tuesday’s poll.

The Independent includes a feature on the war-torn Syrian city of Homs. The eye-witness account documents that fierce fighting has left the city a desolate shell, now controlled by Assad’s forces.

Meanwhile, the Guardian online covers the aftermath of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s election in Egypt, noting that the United States government issued a statement “looking forward” to working alongside al-Sisi while urging him to implement human rights reforms. Al-Sisi led the military ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood last summer. Many Egyptians view him as a stabilising factor within the country, although the low turnout in last week’s vote also indicates significant disapproval to his rule. The Times online covers the decision by popular Egyptian satirical comedian Bassem Youssef to pull his own TV show and says it may be a sign of worrying self-censorship in Egypt under al-Sisi.

The Guardian includes a letter to the editor signed by vocal pro-Palestinian activists including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Roger Waters, which calls for the security firm G4S to end its supply of equipment to Israeli prisons and security installations in the West Bank.

In the Israeli media, there is widespread coverage of the continuing fallout from this week’s announcement of the composition of the new Palestinian unity government, backed by both Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction and Hamas. Haaretz describes a “wave of recognition” for the new Palestinian government across the world in the face of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s objections, while Makor Rishon highlights US Secretary of State John Kerry’s intention to cooperate with the new authority. Maariv says that Israeli officials have been “stunned” by the international response. Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Alex Fishman says that there is a “crisis of trust” over the issue between Israel and the United States.

Israel Radio news this morning reports that Housing Minister Uri Ariel announced plans for the construction of 1,100 new housing units in the West Bank, the vast majority of which are slated to be built in settlement blocs; these are likely to remain part of Israel under any future peace deal. Ariel, who represents Jewish Home, said that the announcement was a response to the new Palestinian “terror” government. Both Makor Rishon and Israel Hayom also feature this as a major item.

Israel Radio news also reports that the Iron Dome missile defence system was activated on the Syrian border for the first time yesterday in a failed attempt to intercept a mortar rocket fired from Syria, which the IDF assumes was errant fire. The rocket landed in the Golan Heights without causing any damage or injury.