WSJ: Wagner Group May Transfer Air Defence System To Hezbollah

The Wall Street Journal has reportedthat the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group may provide an air defence system to the Iranian-backed Lebanon-based Hezbollah.

• The Journal reports: "One U.S. official said that Washington hasn’t confirmed that the system has been sent. But it is monitoring discussions involving Wagner and Hezbollah and that the potential delivery is a major concern."
• The prospect of Hezbollah, a larger and more operationally advanced militant group than Hamas - with direct links to Tehran, opening a second front remains a major concern for Israel.
• Wagner Group retains some operations in Syria but there have been questions over the future of group since the death of former leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in August.
• In the immediate aftermath of Prigozhin's death there was a widespread assumption that the group would be absorbed into the Russian military and brought under the direct control of the Kremlin.
• In recent weeks, however, there has been speculation in Russian media that the group may be undergoing a restructuring under Pavel Prigozhin, the former leader's son. If the group has been reformed independent of the Kremlin it may pose a greater threat to regional security.