Both the Independent online and BBC online report on the most serious exchange of fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza border region in months. On Sunday night, an Israeli air strike targeted two members of an al-Qaida affiliated terror cell, who according to the IDF were in the final stages of planning a terror attack against Israel from Sinai. On Monday, Hamas and Islamic Jihad took responsibility for a barrage of over 30 rockets and mortars that hit farming districts in the Eshkol region of Israel, forcing local residents into bomb shelters. Israel responded with further strategic air strikes near the town of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip.  However, the violence appears to have no connection to Israel’s downing of an unarmed drone on Saturday, which was widely reported in the UK media. The Observer, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Telegraph and Sunday Times all reported the incursion of the unmanned aircraft into Israeli airspace, which flew over the Gaza Strip before being shot down by Israel’s air force over the Negev desert. Israeli officials said that the drone had most likely been launched by Hezbollah to gather intelligence. In response, Israel flew jets over southern Lebanon on Sunday in a demonstration of strength, as reported yesterday by the Times, Telegraph, Financial Times and Independent i.

This morning’s Independent i carries a brief report on Iranian accusations that Israel and other countries have launched a cyber attack on its offshore oil and gas communications networks over the past few weeks. Meanwhile, both the Telegraph online and the Times online report on the continued violence across the Turkey-Syria border. Syrian shells landed close to the Turkish village of Guvecci on Saturday and yesterday Turkey fired artillery at Syrian military positions for a sixth consecutive day. Online, the Financial Times and Times both report concerns over the impact that limited basic resources might have on Syrian civilians and refugees as winter approaches.

In the Israeli media, most dailies lead with the barrage of rockets fired on southern Israel from Gaza, which occurred as the country was celebrating the end of the Sukkot holiday. Maariv devotes its front page to the violence and reports on the chances of an escalation. In addition to the situation in the south of the country, Israel Hayom also gives prominence to the deployment of a battery of Patriot surface-to-air missiles in Haifa, which comes two days after the incursion of an unarmed drone into Israeli air space.  Several dailies also report on the major foreign policy speech delivered by US presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Makor Rishon makes it their lead story, while an analysis in Israel Hayom by Boaz Bismuth calls it “the speech of a superpower leader.” Meanwhile, speculation continues over the possibility that Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu will call early elections. Israel Hayom speculates that a decision is very close indeed, with a poll possibly to be held towards the end of January 2013. Haaretz carries a report claiming that Israeli intelligence believes Iran has slowed its nuclear development, delaying its progress towards weapons-grade uranium enrichment by at least eight months.