Following the Lebanese militant group’s confrontations with Israel, US intelligence has learned that Russia’s Wagner Group is planning to deliver an advanced air defence missile system to Hezbollah.
American officials are presently watching talks between the Wagner mercenary group and Lebanon’s Hamas-supporting militia over the likely supply of the SA-22, a system that combats airstrikes with anti-aircraft missiles and guns.
The SA-22 system, also known as Pantsir-S1, is a Russian truck-mounted surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapons system.
This weapon was also employed in the Russian-Ukraine war and might be utilized by the Iran-backed militia organization in the Middle East to defend against Israeli attacks.
Furthermore, as the Israel-Hamas war intensifies, skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified along the Lebanese border.
The SA-22 has yet to be transferred to Lebanon, according to US officials, but some Hezbollah and Wagner troops are now stationed in Syria.
However, it is unknown whether the weapon could be smuggled from Lebanon to Gaza to aid Hamas in its fight against Israeli attacks.
Furthermore, Russian officials have yet to comment on the reported conversation between Wagner and Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, the United States has established a presence in the region by stationing an aviation barrier in the Eastern Mediterranean to prevent Hezbollah from helping Hamas in attacking Israel.
On October 7, as Hamas launched missiles at Israel, Israel declared war on Hamas, and US President Joe Biden urged outside parties against mounting an attack on Israel’s borders.
Despite the warning, the heads of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad convened last week to declare a joint war on Israel.
“The axis of resistance terrorist leaders gathered to set a goal for achieving a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestine and halt Israel’s treacherous and brutal aggression against our oppressed and steadfast people in Gaza and the West Bank”, the statement reads.
Also read: Russia’s ratification of the ‘Nuclear Test Ban Treaty’ is retracted by Vladimir Putin
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