The Times, The Financial Times, Reuters, the Associated Press and The Independent report that a clash between Turkish, rebel and regime troops in northwest Syria on Thursday — a significant new development in the region — left two Turkish and an unknown number of Assad regime soldiers dead. The Telegraph reports that Turkey reportedly asked the US to deploy Patriot missile batteries to defend its troops from Syrian regime airstrikes. Reuters reports that Russia accused Turkey on Thursday of providing artillery support to militants fighting the Syrian army and said militants briefly broke through Syrian military positions in Idlib, Russian news agencies reported.

BBC News, Reuters, the Associated Press and the Financial Times report that Iranians are voting in elections in an exercise widely expected to result in a more hardline parliament loyal to the country’s supreme leader, as many moderate candidates were barred from running for not meeting strict election criteria. The Guardian and Reuters report that Iran’s senior leaders flooded the media with eve-of-poll warnings that abstentions in Friday’s parliamentary elections – either through indifference or as a protest – will only encourage Donald Trump to step up economic sanctions against Tehran.

The Guardian and the Associated Press report that Israeli prosecutors plan to launch a criminal investigation into a bankrupted former cybersecurity startup, Fifth Dimension, headed by opposition leader Benny Gantz, who is set to face off against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an election in less than two weeks’ time.

The Associated Press reports that Libya’s warring parties have returned to negotiations aimed at salvaging a fragile cease-fire in the North African country after they had suspended talks earlier this week, a UN spokesperson said Thursday.

Reuters reports that Qatar has accused Saudi Arabia of allowing a protracted dispute to hinder Gulf Arab coordination over the coronavirus outbreak by denying the Qatari health minister timely access to a meeting of regional health ministers in Riyadh.

Sky News reports that 3,000 camels have been evacuated from Tripoli in Libya amid violence this week. A video show the camels being evacuated from the port in Tripoli after the area was hit by artillery fire.

The Financial Times, editorial says the West has provided a ‘shameful response to the tragedy in Idlib’, asserting Vladimir Putin must be confronted with evidence of war crimes in Syria.

In The Guardian, Beth McKernan appears on the Today in Focus podcast to describe the humanitarian crisis unfolding in northern Syria after the government’s attempt to take back the opposition-held city of Idlib.

In The Independent, Kim Sengupta writes that Soleimani’s former comrades believe Soleimani’s death leaves US power in Middle East weakened, given the number of groups across the region that want revenge after the commander’s death.

In The Independent, Othman Moqbel asks why the British public is not adequately informed regarding the ‘thousands of women and children have been killed in Idlib’, as the soaring civilian death tolls as collateral damage but Moqbel insists these deaths ‘are no accidents’.

The Israeli media report that Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have resolved their recent trade dispute. Defence Minister Naftali Bennett announced that Israel would allow Palestinian agricultural exports and permit direct cattle imports. In return the Palestinian Authority ended their boycott of cattle from Israel. Ynet explains the trade dispute began in September “when the Palestinians decided to stop importing beef from Israel. The PA claimed most of the 120,000 head of cattle they imported monthly from Israel was itself imported and that they, therefore, preferred to import directly from abroad. The move appeared aimed at reducing the Palestinians’ economic dependence on Israel.  Shortly after the September announcement, Israeli cattle ranchers saw a drop in their market and pressured Israeli authorities to take action. Bennett retaliated with a ban on Palestinian beef and other products, triggering the Palestinians to expand their boycott, and stop importing Israeli vegetables, fruits, beverages and mineral water  The Palestinians said their actions were aimed at pressuring Israel into revoking its ban, while Israel said normal trade would be restored the moment the Palestinians reverse the cattle ban that sparked the crisis.”

All the Israeli media report the return of 11 Israeli tourists who were aboard the Diamond Princess and did not contract the coronavirus. They arrived in Israel this morning, and according to Kan Radio News, the passengers were taken from the runway by a medical team in a minibus to Sheba Hospital, where they will be kept in isolation in a special facility for two weeks.  The four Israeli passengers who were infected and hospitalised in Japan are expected to be discharged by the middle of next week. They are awaiting a blood test to confirm that they have recovered from the illness.

Yediot Ahronot reports that two police officers have been suspended following an internal investigation on suspicion of firing a sponge-tipped bullet at a nine year old boy in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Issawiya. The boy suffered a serious eye injury and is reported to have lost sight in one eye.

Yossi Verter writes in Haaretz, reflecting on the publication of the Trump plan: “It’s unlikely that it will have induced even 100 voters to switch sides. Indeed, in Likud, they’re going crazy with frustration. Netanyahu commissioned a series of polls to find out what’s behind the apparent indifference to what was described by his people as the crowning glory of his 14 years as prime minister, the fulfilment of the dream of the nations of the world and the triumph of Zionism. The findings were like a slap in the face. The issue of annexation, he discovered, is of interest only to the ideological right – voters of Yamina and further to the right. Netanyahu’s voters, those in Likud, are mostly showing sweeping imperturbability. They’re more interested in core issues of life itself: the cost of living, housing prices, health care, traffic jams. They don’t object in principle to Israel imposing its law on Area C in the West Bank, which is already under its de facto control, on the Jordan Valley and so on, but what does that have to do with their bank balance? With the ever-diminishing prospect of being able to buy an apartment for their kids?”