(Israel Government Press Office)

Yediot Aharonot says: "The recent incidents on the northern border have a direct link to the Syrians' and Hezbollah's growing sense of self-confidence regarding what they see as successes in the fighting inside Syria in recent weeks." The author also believes that "The change in Syria's and Hezbollah's patterns of activity along the border began after the February 25 attack on the weapons convoy in the Beka Valley," and adds: "Israel played into their hands, not because – according to reports – it bombed inside Lebanon, but because it did not see fit to remain silent." The paper calls on the government and the IDF "to make it clear to the other side that it has no intention of accepting new rules of the game that contravene its security interests."

Yisrael Hayom suggests that the security forces "will have to find a solution to the question of if and how it is possible to deter the terrorist elements that operate freely in Syria and Lebanon," and adds: "It seems that we may expect to see the realization of the scenario in which the northern borders become – sooner or later – borders of terrorism."

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The Jerusalem Post queries the rationale behind the granting of unsupervised furloughs to prisoners imprisoned for serious crimes, and asserts: “The time has come for the authorities to be more scrupulous about implementing the regulations regarding the release of prisoners who are a public menace.”

Haaretz criticizes Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s unbridled attacks on the United States, and believes that by doing so he is endangering Israel’s security. The editor notes that Ya’alon “prefers to act like the last of the right wing’s resistance fighters,” and points out that “Israel has no option of operating in a vacuum in contravention of the explicit position of the U.S. – not on the Iranian issue and not on other issues.” The editor concludes: “At a time when international criticism of Israel is growing, and only the U.S. continues to stubbornly support Israel, the defense minister is sabotaging even that.”