CNN —The US has intelligence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to provide the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah with a Russian-made missile defense system, according to two people familiar with the intelligence.
The Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, which operates in Syria, has been tasked with carrying out the delivery of the surface-to-air SA-22 missile system, the people said.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Wagner may provide the system to Hezbollah.
A third source familiar with western intelligence said there was evidence of increasing collaboration between Hezbollah and Wagner in Syria.
It is not clear how much influence Russia had over the decision to provide the system to Hezbollah.
Persons:
Bashar al, Assad, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, –, Hassan Nasrallah, CNN’s Oren Liebermann
Organizations:
CNN, Wagner Group, Street, Russian, US, Kremlin, Israel
Locations:
Lebanese, Russian, Syria, Russia, Syrian, Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Moscow, –, Gaza