Iran-related news is widely covered in the UK media today. The Financial Times, Guardian, Reuters and BBC Online report that parliamentary elections will be held in Iran today, the first vote since the controversial presidential elections of 2009. The FT’s Middle East Editor Roula Khalaf analyses the upcoming elections and downplays the potential for wide change in the Iranian leadership. The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph focus on the upcoming meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama, and Israel’s efforts to increase the pressure on Iran. The Times reports that the Pentagon has handed the White House a list of military options for a strike against Iran’s nuclear sites. The paper also carries an opinion piece arguing that Israel may launch a military action against Iran without US assistance if it feels Iran has crossed a nuclear threshold. Reuters and the Financial Times report that Israel announced it would conduct its first test of the Arrow 3, a system developed in cooperation with the United States to shoot down ballistic missiles in space. The FT also notes that Israeli officials cautioned that parallels should not be drawn between North Korea’s agreement to shelf its nuclear programme and the Iranian nuclear case. The Independent quotes Israeli officials who remain skeptical that economic sanctions will halt the Iranian nuclear programme. All papers and online news agencies follow developments in Syria as Assad forces enter the neighbourhood of Baba Amr in the besieged city of Homs. Aid agencies are expected to enter the neighbourhood as well to bring in supplies and evacuate the wounded. The papers and online news media widely cover the UN Security Council’s demand from Syria to allow additional humanitarian aid into rebel-held areas. The Financial Times and the International Herald Tribune report that a deal between the US and Egypt enabled American campaigners and NGO workers to leave Cairo after being accused of anti-government activity. The Guardian publishes letters reacting to the resignation of Jenny Tonge as the Liberal Democrats’ whip after controversial statements she had made about Israel. The Jewish Chronicle carries an opinion piece by BICOM CEO Lorna Fitzsimons looking back at five years of Israel advocacy in the UK.

Israeli papers and online news sources widely report PM Netanyahu’s five-day visit to the US and Canada. The PM’s meeting with President Obama, which will focus on ways of combating the Iranian nuclear programme is widely covered and analysed. According to a report in Yediot Ahronoth, Netanyahu will seek to receive a guarantee from the US president that if Israel should hold off with a military strike against Iran, it would subsequently receive American support for such a strike later. The paper reports that Israel, however, does not expect that the president will make a public threat of a military strike on Iran. The Jerusalem Post predicts that the prime minister will seek broad understandings with the United States about possible courses of action rather than specific assurances. Haaretz notes Israeli concerns at the conflicting statements by top US officials on the Iranian issue, suggesting these undermine efforts to increase pressure on Iran. The Jerusalem Post also publishes a diplomatic analysis of the upcoming meeting between the Israeli PM and the US president, which predicts that electoral considerations are likely to impact the meeting. In other news, Ynetnews and Maariv report that violent clashes took place between forces loyal to the Assad regime and opposition forces in the city of Quneitra, near the Israel-Syria border. The Jerusalem Post, Yediot Ahronot and Haaretz report that a relocation agreement has been reached between the government and the residents of Migron, a large outpost built illegally on private Palestinian land. Details of the deal are still unclear, however. The Jerusalem Post also reports that Israel’s Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein on Thursday ordered the police to open a criminal investigation into illegal buildings in the West Bank Shiloh settlement. The Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom note on their front pages the release yesterday of former Shas minister Shlomo Benizri from prison, and controversial statements he made after his release. Israel Radio reports that seven rockets were fired last night at Israeli communities from the Gaza Strip. The print and online Israeli press also widely covers the extreme winter weather hitting the country.