In the UK media, the BBC and The Telegraph report that British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has lost an appeal against a second jail sentence in Iran. Her family said over the weekend there had been no court hearing, but her lawyer was informed of the outcome. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was sentenced to another year’s confinement in April on charges of “spreading propaganda” after being imprisoned for five years in 2016 for charges of plotting against the regime. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss denounced the Iranian decision as “an appalling continuation of the cruel ordeal” Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is going through. There are new concerns that Zaghari-Ratcliffe may now be sent back to prison.

The Independent reports that German and Israeli fighter jets flew over the skies of Jerusalem for the first time since World War 1, as the two nations carried out a joint military exercise. The fly-by over Israel’s capital expresses the strong partnership and connection between the air forces and the countries, says paper says.

The Times writes that Israel has been accused of assassinating a Syrian intelligence officer in the Golan Heights as part of its strategy of preventing Iran gaining a foothold there. An Israeli sniper shot Midhat as-Saleh, a Syrian former MP, with “treacherous bullets,” the Syrian government said. Israel has not commented on the killing, but says it is trying to stop Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah from establishing a permanent base on the Golan border region.

The Telegraph reports that Israel is building a massive underground graveyard with Wi-Fi, air conditioning and mobile phone-operated gates as the Jewish state grapples with a severe shortage in burial space. The Perpetual Tunnels, a sprawling complex in West Jerusalem, has the potential to house tens of thousands of graves and may be expanded deeper below the ground in the decades to come.

The Guardian’s Simon Tisdall speculates what interested parties might do were Iran to drag its feet on nuclear talks. He writes: “The very last thing US president Joe Biden wants, as he tries to disengage from the Middle East and focus on China, is Israeli military action against Iran that sets the region ablaze. Yet an anxious Naftali Bennett, Israel’s prime minister, doesn’t rule it out. The world waits, the Iranians delay, and the centrifuges spin,’ he said.”

The Guardian and Independent write that over 200 people covered only in white body paint modelled for American artist Spencer Tunick across the southern Israeli desert to raise awareness for the deteriorating condition of the Dead Sea. Volunteers, of ages between 18 and 70, lined in rows of 10 and stood barefoot on brown hills overlooking the sea. Tunick said he chose to cover the models in white paint to evoke the Biblical story of Lot’s wife, who allegedly turned into a pillar of salt.

Reuters reports that Lebanon’s top Christian cleric, Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, has said the judiciary should be free of political interference and sectarian “activism” amid tensions over a probe into last year’s blast at Beirut port.

In the Israeli media, Maariv reports on tensions rising within the government. Echoing similar sentiments that were voiced by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid two weeks ago, Prime Minister Bennett yesterday urged coalition members to rise above their differences and to “think of the greater goal” that prompted them to join the disparate coalition to begin with. Meretz is feeling very disgruntled, according to the report. Its ministers and MKs are upset by the fact that negotiations with the Palestinians are off the table and by several incidents between settlers and IDF soldiers and Palestinians, as well as by the construction plans for Atarot and Givat Hamatos [in Jerusalem]. Meretz is also angry at the plan to cancel — in response to pressure from the settlers — the recognition of the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zakaria between Alon Shvut and Rosh Tzurim in the Etzion bloc, even though the Civil Administration had announced that it would recognize 50 buildings in the village.

Yediot Ahronot’s Elisha Ben Kimon writes about a rise in so-called “price tag” violence and vandalism targeting Palestinians in the West Bank. According to data from the security establishment, 2020 saw far more violence than 2019. The sharpest uptick was recorded after the death of Ahuvia Sandak during a police chase in December. Since then the situation has escalated and violence has continued to rise — Palestinian farmers recently began olive-picking season, which is always a source of friction.

Barak Ravid reports in Walla News about tensions surrounding Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount. Shin Bet representatives said yesterday that they were worried about an “extreme scenario” in which a large group of Jews might try to enter the Temple Mount with the goal of holding public and full prayer services in a way that might result in violence erupting on the site. A meeting was convened by Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev to discuss the Temple Mount. The Shin Bet also spoke about efforts that have been made by figures from the Arab world and Turkey to fan the flames on the Temple Mount, latching onto the handful of provocations by Jews and presenting them as an attempt to attack al-Aqsa Mosque. “In every military conflagration that Israel engages in anywhere, an attempt is made by the Arab side to turn back the wheel on the Temple Mount,” said one Shin Bet representative at the meeting.

Israel Hayom focuses on Prime Minister Bennett trip to Russia later this week at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. Lilach Shoval reports that Bennett is expected to discuss a range of issues with Putin, including Israel’s ongoing freedom of operation in Syria, Iran’s activity in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East and the Iranian nuclear programme. Channel 12 News reports a somewhat different agenda for Bennett ahead of his meeting with Putin, saying: “Russia is active in two arenas that are important to Israel — the Syrian side of the Golan border and the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem expects Moscow to impose order near the Israeli border and to push the few remaining Iranians tens of kilometres away from the border. Regarding the second arena — the Mediterranean Sea — Bennett and Putin will discuss continued coordination to maintain [Israel’s] freedom of operation there, which is an issue that requires ongoing maintenance.”

Kan Radio reports that senior Health Ministry officials are concerned a new COVID-19 wave may strike ahead of winter because of the sharp drop in the number of people receiving the third vaccination shot. Health Ministry officials believe that the percentage of people between the ages of 12 and 15 who get the third vaccine dose will be low, as will be the percentage of children who get vaccinated once a decision is made to make them eligible for vaccination. The Health Ministry has set a goal of having more than five million people receive a third vaccine dose. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 infection rate continues to fall. According to Health Ministry data, there are 380 people hospitalised in serious condition, of whom 164 are on ventilators. Yesterday, about 840 people tested positive for COVID-19, accounting for less than 1 per cent of the tests processed.

Makor Rishon reports that Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde arrived in Israel yesterday evening and will meet today with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. Linde is the first senior Swedish official to visit Israel since 2014, when Sweden recognised “Palestine” as a state, resulting in a diplomatic breakdown in ties. Linde is also scheduled to meet with President Yitzhak Herzog and will visit Yad Vashem. She is then scheduled to travel to Ramallah. In addition to the Swedish guest, Foreign Minister Lapid is also due to welcome Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who arrived in Israel yesterday. Following that meeting, Energy Minister Karin Elharar is to sign the International Solar Alliance. Later this evening a four-way Zoom meeting will be held by the American secretary of state and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, India and Israel—at Lapid’s initiative. One of the aspects of UAE-Indian relations is the fact that some two million Indian nationals work in the UAE.