The Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times report that Sir John Sawers, the head of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, has warned that although MI6 agents have previously foiled Iranian attempts to acquire nuclear weapons, Iran will succeed in becoming a nuclear state within two years, which any Israeli Prime Minister or US President will find “very tough … to accept.” The Daily Mail adds that Sawers revealed that British, American, and Israeli spies thwarted Iranian attempts to acquire nuclear weapons as early as 2008. The Daily Telegraph also reports that MI5 has expressed fears that the Olympics may be targeted by Al Qaeda, in a bid to target American and Israeli athletes. The Financial Times also runs an opinion piece by former Kadima leader Tzipi Livni, who writes that the momentous shifts in the Arab world mean Israel will have to take decisions not easily digested by many Israelis. The Times reports that Palestinian officials faced increasing pressure yesterday to exhume the remains of Yasser Arafat.  The Evening Standard notes that one Palestinian militant was killed and three other wounded in an IDF strike while the group was preparing to launch an anti-tank missile at soldiers patrolling the Israel-Gaza border. The Guardian analyses the review of export controls and compares the number of export licenses revoked after the 2007 Operation Cast Lead and those revoked as a result of the Arab Spring. The Independent publishes an AP report noting that former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said yesterday that he would not return to politics, two days after he was acquitted of the central charges in a corruption trial. The Independent also reports that three Eritreans were hospitalised after their Jerusalem home was torched by arsonists. The paper also notes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked officials to explore a campaign in sub-Saharan Africa designed to discourage would-be illegal migrants from trying to enter Israel through the Sinai desert.

The Israeli media widely covers the late-night meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kadima party leader Shaul Mofaz, in an effort to resolve the crisis over legislation for ultra-Orthodox military and civilian service. According to a report in Yediot Ahronot, recriminations continued to fly between Likud and Kadima over the new law, with Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon quoted as saying, “I’m very pessimistic that we will succeed in reaching agreements with Kadima, because what they want to replace the Tal Law with could cause a coalition crisis.” Online, all Israeli news sources report on the alleged massacre of 200 Syrians by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad in the Hama region. Haaretz and Ynetnews note a Wall Street Journal report that Assad has taken chemical weapon stockpiles out of storage and may use it if he feels his regime is in danger. The Jerusalem Post publishes a poll that suggests Ehud Olmert could pose a political challenge to PM Netanyahu’s leadership. Maariv and Makor Rishon continue to cover the fallout from the acquittal of former PM Olmert earlier this week. Maariv’s Ben Caspit responds to the State Attorney’s rejection of his claims earlier this week that the key witness in the “Rishon Tours” affair had perjured herself in the service of a right wing conspiracy.