The Daily Mirror reports from a briefing with a senior Mossad official who warned Iran has “crossed the technology red line”. “He also claimed the ‘secret war’ of assassinating Tehran scientists is working”. BBC online and the Financial Times highlight the defection of a senior Syrian diplomat and his support for the opposition. The Guardian gives insight into the role and dilemmas of religious Zionists serving in the IDF. The Independent reports that President Shimon Peres cancelled his visit to London to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics to avoid travelling on Sabbath. The Daily Express includes a comment piece calling the Church of England’s criticism of Israel “wrong”. The Guardian online includes a report in to mental health in the Gaza strip blaming heavy unemployment and the “Israeli blockade”.

The coverage of the ongoing negotiations between Likud and Kadima on new legislation for military and civilian service continues in all of today’s Israeli media. Haaretz assess “slim chances of drawing up a draft bill”. Yediot Ahronot connects the latest breakdown in talks to the acquittal of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who may consider a return to politics once his trial in the Holyland affair is concluded. This could pose a threat to Kadima’s current leader and potentially to PM Netanyahu and therefore both have an interest in early elections. Israel Hayom publishes a poll that asks whether Olmert can return to serve in a public capacity. 55.2% say no, only 26.8% say yes. Maariv has an exclusive angle on Olmert’s trial, claiming that in one of the affairs, the prosecutors’ key witness was sent involved in a right wing conspiracy to remove Olmert from office. Yediot Ahronot notes the deployment of an Iron Dome battery in the Eilat area as a response to threats from the Sinai Peninsula. The Times of Israel reports on evidence found of an Al-Qaida cell planning to attack London Jewish communities. The Jerusalem Post reports on the tension between representatives of the Jewish community in the UK and the Church of England’s support for the “Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), a group that supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel and stands accused of having an anti-Israel stance and harboring a “one-sided” narrative”.