The Guardian reports that separate studies in Israel and the Netherlands claim to have created antibodies that can block the coronavirus infection, a potential future treatment touted as a game-changer until a vaccine becomes available.

The Times reports that Israel has stepped up its bombardment of military sites linked to Iran and Hezbollah in Syria, with a top-secret research base the latest target, as raids near Aleppo and in the east of Syria on Monday killed fighters from militias linked to Iran, according to local reports.

The Associated Press reports that the Israeli military said it struck three Hamas militant posts in Gaza early on Wednesday, in response to the first case of rocket fire from the territory in more than a month.

Sky News reports that the Royal Air Force (RAF) has carried out airstrikes on caves in Iraq where Islamic State terrorists were hiding out, after six cave entrances were bombed on April 28 by a pair of RAF Typhoons northeast of Bayji, Iraq.

The Telegraph and BBC News report that an Iranian airline with links to the Revolutionary Guards Corps may have contributed to the spread of coronavirus around the Middle East after it continued to fly to China despite a ban imposed by the Iranian government, a BBC News investigation has claimed.

The Financial Times and The Independent report that Iran’s parliament has backed government plans to slash four zeros from the country’s currency, the rial, which has been battered by a fall in value as a result of US sanctions. Reuters reports that the US is expected to deport Iranian professor Sirous Asgari, who was acquitted of stealing trade secrets, once he receives medical clearance to leave, US and Iranian officials said on Tuesday.

The Times reports that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has admitted for the first time that the spread of the virus in Syria could turn into a “catastrophe” and overwhelm what remains of the country’s health system. The Times reports that Assad has begun rounding up employees and close associates of his cousin, Rami Makhlouf, as Syria’s ruling family falls into open warfare.

BBC News reports that Islamic State militants have stepped up their attacks on security forces in north-eastern Iraq, reportedly killing at least 18 people since the weekend. The Telegraph and The Times reports that a sinkhole that was once a popular picnic spot is being investigated as a mass grave used by Islamic State and others, after drones captured images of six bodies floating in its flooded depths.

The Times reports that the US military in Afghanistan has urged the Taliban to “return to the political path” in a rare open letter after a surge of bloodshed that is threatening to scupper President Donald Trump’s hopes of a full withdrawal.

Reuters reports that authorities in Houthi-held north Yemen confirmed their first case of the new coronavirus on Tuesday, a Somali national found dead in a Sanaa hotel, while the government in the south of the war-torn nation reported nine new infections.

The Independent reports that Turkey has announced it will ease lockdown measures next week that were imposed across much of the country amid signs of success in its efforts to contain the coronavirus.

BBC News, the Associated Press and The Telegraph reports that a fire has engulfed a skyscraper in Sharjah, one of the largest cities in the United Arab Emirates, showering debris on cars in the streets below. Sky News reports video footage of the blaze, as seen by local onlookers.

The Independent reports that the coronavirus pandemic has brought back something unseen in Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution: a drive-in cinema under Tehran’s famous Milad tower.

In the Associated Press, Joseph Krauss and Mohammed Daraghmeh write that Palestinians are fearing a coronavirus outbreak in Jerusalem’s ‘no man’s land’ of Kufr Aqab, which is not policed by either the Palestinian Authority or Israeli security.

In the Financial Times, an editorial asserts that the ‘bankrupt’ Lebanese economy must now turn to support from the IMF, as a bailout is now the Mediterranean country’s “only option to refloat its sinking economy”.

In the Israeli media, Ma’ariv and Haaretz report that Blue and White and Likud have adjusted several clauses in their coalition agreement following criticism from the justices during the two-day hearing at the Supreme Court. According to the parties, the proposed freeze on legislation unrelated to the coronavirus crisis would be struck from the agreement and the timeframe for the freeze on appointing senior civil servants would be shortened. The option of extending the “state of emergency” period by three months at a time has also been discarded and the period will be restricted to six months. As a result of the proposed changes, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit told the Supreme Court that “there are no grounds to determine that the agreement or clauses thereof must be struck down. Furthermore, it bears noting that the established rule reserves judicial intervention in coalition agreements for unusual and rare occasions”. The judges are expected to their verdict before midnight Thursday, the deadline for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to inform the President that he has the signatures of 61 MKs to be assigned the task of forming a government. If not, the Knesset will dissolve and new elections will be held. Blue and White are concerned that if the government is not passed before then, a new wave of petitions after the legislation is enacted might convince Netanyahu to hold another election.

Kan Radio News reports this morning that the Knesset has resumed its marathon session to advance legislating the bill to allow for the alternating government, ahead of the bill’s second and third readings. That meeting is expected to run through 4:00 PM, at which point the Knesset will vote on the roughly 1,000 reservations that were submitted by members of the opposition against the bill and various clauses within it. The MKs will be able to vote on the bill in its second and third readings once that voting process is over. Blue and White MK Eitan Ginzburg, who chairs the special committee that prepared the bill, said: “We aren’t going to change Israel’s system of government. The State of Israel’s system of government was and remains democratic, and there is no disputing that. It is stable, sturdy and, in spite of the allegations made by one MK or another, it is not about to be changed, but quite the contrary—we are going to strengthen and enshrine it.”

US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has told Israel Hayom that the US will be prepared to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and Israeli settlements in the West Bank in the next few weeks. The full interview will be published on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem. Friedman said that several conditions still need to be completed before the US will grant its approval: the mapping process needs to be completed, the Israeli government needs to agree to suspend construction in the part of Area C that isn’t designated to fall under [Israeli] sovereignty, and the Prime Minister needs to agree to negotiate with the Palestinians on the basis of the Trump peace plan.

The number of people in Israel who have died of the coronavirus now stands at 238. There have been 16,289 confirmed cases, an increase of 29 since yesterday, and 70 patients remain on ventilators. Last night the cabinet renewed its lockdown over the Bedouin town of Hura near Beersheba, which suffers from the second-highest coronavirus infection rate in the country. According to the Health Ministry, there have been 123 confirmed cases among Hura’s population of 16,983, including 20 new infections over the last three days. The number of cases there has tripled over the last week — the highest growth rate in Israel. Also yesterday, a Knesset subcommittee approved a three-week extension of emergency regulations permitting the Shin Bet security agency to trace people with coronavirus so they can locate those with whom they may have been in contact.

Yediot Ahronoth reports that a rocket was fired late Tuesday from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli border communities. The rocket landed in an open field and caused no injuries or damage. Israel responded with tank fire at three Hamas military posts. It is the first rocket to be fired from the Gaza Strip since late March. According to the German Die Zeit news site report Wednesday, German and Swiss negotiators are trying to broker the prisoner exchange deal between Israel, Egypt and Hamas.