America’s revelation will shake the world, Wagner is going to provide air defense system to Hezbollah

The United States has intelligence that Russia’s Wagner mercenary group is planning to provide air defense systems to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials. The Journal said Wagner planned to supply the Pantsir-S1 system, known to NATO as the SA-22, which uses anti-aircraft missiles and air-defense guns to intercept aircraft.

The Wagner Group, funded by the Russian state and brought firmly under Kremlin control since the overthrow of its former leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in June, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. An unnamed US official quoted by the Journal said Washington had not confirmed that the system had been sent. But the Journal said U.S. officials were monitoring discussions involving Wagner and Hezbollah. The Journal said the Pantsir system would be provided to Hezbollah through Syria, where Russia entered the civil war in 2015 to support President Bashar al-Assad.

Amid Lebanon’s 1975–90 civil war, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards founded Hezbollah in 1982. It was part of Iran’s effort to export its 1979 Islamic revolution to the region and fight Israeli forces following its 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Lebanon’s Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces from across the border since the October 7 war between its Palestinian ally Hamas and Israel in Gaza.