Iran this week launched a program to train 20 of its top television and radio journalists to cover a future war between Israel and Syria.

Following the course, the journalists will all be placed on call to ship out to either Syria or Lebanon at a moment's notice if and when hostilities erupt.

On Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar Assad told a Lebanese newspaper that he feels the chances of war with Israel are slim, but then went on to note that Syria is preparing for just such a conflict. Assad explained his war preparations by claiming that the US administration is trying to provoke war between his nation and Israel, as well as a Lebanese civil war.

The Syrian leader went on to claim that during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Israel had wanted to throw in the towel much earlier, but that Washington had forced it to continue fighting in order to advance US interests.

In related news, Hizballah officials told a Syrian newspaper this week that if hostilities between the Lebanese terrorist militia and Israel resume, as many military experts expect, then Hizballah will activate large cells of Israeli Arabs it has managed to recruit to carry out attacks against their Jewish countrymen.