US intelligence says the Wagner Group is working to transfer anti-aircraft missiles to pro-Iran terrorist group.
By World Israel News Staff
A Russian mercenary group which has fought on Moscow’s behalf in the war in Ukraine is working to ship anti-air missile systems to the Hezbollah terrorist group in southern Lebanon, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Citing U.S. officials, the Journal reported Thursday that American intelligence has learned that the Wagner Group – a powerful Russian mercenary organization involved in the Syrian civil war and the Russian invasion of Ukraine – is seeking to transfer SA-22 surface-to-air missile systems to Hezbollah.
The White House has reportedly monitored communications between the Wagner Group and Hezbollah, and is concerned the weapons transfer could embolden Hezbollah, which has yet to launch a full-scale attack on Israel’s northern border.
Tensions on the Israel-Lebanon frontier have gradually escalated, however, since the October 7th Hamas invasion of southwestern Israel, with a number of rocket barrages, terrorist infiltration attempts, and anti-tank missile launches from southern Lebanon.
The Wagner Group already has a presence in Syria, where it has aided the Assad regime.
American intelligence sources have yet to determine whether the Wagner Group has already begun supplying SA-22s to Hezbollah.