'Israel steps up attacks' and 'Tory maternity pay row'

The escalating conflict in the Middle East leads several of Monday’s front pages. Israel launched air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday, the Guardian reports, while continuing to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon. The paper says both strikes came 48 hours after the death of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel’s military says it hit missile launchers, sea port and a weapons supply route in Yemen, the i reports, as it sought to widen its attacks. The paper adds that Israel is continuing preparations for a possible ground incursion in Lebanon.

Hundreds of Israeli tanks massed near Israel’s border with Lebanon last night, the Times says. The US called for restraint from both sides, the paper reports, and warned Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that war would not return 60,000 displaced Israelis to their home in the north.

The Lebanese health ministry says Israel’s offensive has killed more 1,000 people across Lebanon in the past fortnight, the Financial Times reports. Elsewhere on the front page, the paper says Chancellor Rachel Reeves plans to attend a meeting of EU finance ministers before the end of the year, as Labour looks to widen its co-operation with the bloc.

Comments by Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch suggesting maternity pay had “gone too far” feature on many of today’s front pages. Ms Badenoch’s comments, which she says were taken out of context, drew condemnation from her leadership rivals, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The Mirror says Chancellor Rachel Reeves will divert “spare cash” into the NHS to repair what it calls damage from years of cuts under the last Tory government. A treasury insider tells the paper Labour knows cutting NHS waiting lists is a “priority for people”.

Meanwhile, the Daily Express says Labour’s winter fuels cuts will leave 262,000 pensioners in need of medical treatment at a cost of £169m a year to the taxpayer.

The Metro reports that 25,000 drivers have been banned from driving twice, according to new data, which the paper says has prompted renewed calls for in-car breathalysers.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail quotes Boris Johnson as saying French President Emmanuel Macron wanted to give Britain a “punishment beating” over Brexit. The former prime minister’s comments come from an extract of his memoir, in which he shares that he thought Macron was “weaponising” small boat crossings.

The Sun’s lead story claims the wife of Manchester City player Kyle Walker has asked for £15m to “save their marriage”. The paper says Annie Kilner is seeking half of his fortune after he fathered two children with Lauryn Goodman.