The Independent – Middle East crisis: Iran will pay
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country’s response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack will be “significant”, The Independent writes.
At the top of the paper, a second story features. The paper reports PM Starmer has paid back £6,000 worth of gifts – including free tickets to see Taylor Swift at Wembley – amid an ongoing row over freebies.
Israel and Hezbollah clash in fierce fighting in Lebanon as Netanyahu vows Iran ‘will pay’ for missile attack
Israel and Hezbollah have clashed in intense ground battles in southern Lebanon for the first time in nearly two decades as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Iran “will pay” for its huge missile attack.
Mr Netanyahu held two security meetings in the immediate wake of Iran firing 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, the first of which was in a bunker in Jerusalem late on Tuesday night and the second was at the defence ministry’s Tel Aviv headquarters on Wednesday, to work out a response.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it,” he said, immediately after the attack. “The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies.”
Starmer pays back £6,000 of gifts in third attempt to close down freebies row
Sir Keir Starmer has paid back £6,000 in gifts and hospitality as the so-called “freebies row” threatens to spiral out of control and plunge his government into chaos.
The prime minister’s gesture came on a day when Tory leadership candidates described his government as “the most venal in history”.
This was shortly followed by the announcement of an investigation launched into the probity of billionaire Labour donor Waheed Alli who was responsible for many of the gifts to Starmer, his wife Victoria and many members of the cabinet.
And while Sir Keir was trying to end the criticism and get his government back on track, the row appeared to intensify as it was revealed that deputy prime minister Angela Rayner received £836 worth of hospitality while partying in Ibiza. Added to that, foreign secretary David Lammy headed a group of Labour MPs and senior figures receiving Taylor Swift concert tickets.
Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
If you are someone who reads every perspective of a story, here is a news summary of all of today’s front pages from today’s newspapers; summarised in a 2-minute read
Editorial 03 October 2024.
Thursday’s front pages lead with two main stories – polar opposite stories. The ongoing crisis in the Middle East, as Israel has vowed to respond to Iran as fears of an all-out war continue to rise; and Princess Kate’s first public engagement since undergoing cancer treatment.
Most of the broadsheets lead on Israel’s vow to respond to the missile attack, and other stories related to the situation in the Middle East. The tabloids prefer the royal story.
