Israeli-Iranian Intelligence War.

Arab News on Aug. 1 pointed to an "intelligence war" between Iran and Israel, which it said was "gaining momentum, as both countries' intelligence services are increasing efforts to recruit Hebrew and Persian speakers to their ranks". The Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot on July 31 said the Iranian authorities needed Hebrew speakers to work as translators, intelligence agents and as part of its propaganda machine against Israel.

The Israeli daily said the main source of Hebrew speakers was Palestinians studying abroad or Palestinian resistance activists sent for military training in Iran and Lebanon. The paper added that one of the most prominent centres for Hebrew studies was located at Iran's Embassy in Beirut, where Hizbullah members learned Hebrew at the "Islamic Culture and Education Centre". The embassy, it said, had a vast library of Hebrew newspapers and books, "including even children's books". It said it was there that Hizbullah had trained, with the aid of Palestinians, a large group of fighters who were placed in charge of tapping Israeli communication systems, in a bid to collect intelligence on the "Zionist enemy" before and during the July/August 2006 war.

Yediot Aharonot cited Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet as its source, which said "Palestinian students studying out of Israel are an attractive target for Hizbullah", as it was easier for the Shi'ite Lebanese group to recruit and train them abroad. The paper reported Shin Bet as saying "a young Palestinian-Arab woman studying in Jordan was arrested at the Allenby Bridge border crossing (between the West Bank and Jordan), recently on suspicion of collaborating with Hizbullah. The woman admitted...she was contacted by the [Shi'ite] group's agents in Amman and was offered to serve as its agent in Israel".

Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei has made public the vow for his theocracy to defeat the US in Lebanon. This is what Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad has also been saying since he was elected in June 2005, also repeatedly vowing that Israel will be wiped off the world map. Khamenei was recently quoted as reiterating that Iran "must defeat the US in Lebanon".