Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The Lebanese armed group, Hezbollah, is starting to get involved in the war between Israel and Hamas. Hezbollah, which is an ally of Hamas, also invaded Northern Israel and is suspected of receiving assistance from the Russian group.
Even though it is only a faction, Hezbollah is known to have great power because it has weapons. In fact, the group supported by Iran is said to be using Russian-made weapons provided by the Syrian President who is also an ally of Moscow, Bashar Al Assad.
“The Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, operating in Syria, was tasked with delivering the SA-22 surface-to-air missile system,” a United States (US) intelligence source told CNN InternationalFriday (3/11/2023).
“It is unclear whether the weapons have been delivered or how close they are to delivery. These systems were initially provided by Russia for use by the Syrian government,” the source said.
One of the sources said the US had been monitoring recent movements of the system, also known as Pantsir. Another source said the US assessment was based in part on intelligence obtained from discussions between Assad, Wagner and Hezbollah regarding the implementation of the system.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Wagner may have provided the system to Hezbollah. Assad’s role has not been previously reported.
Wagner and Hezbollah fighters have operated in Syria for years, where they cooperate with Russian and Syrian armed forces to support the Assad regime against the Syrian opposition.
Hezbollah has begun pulling its fighters out in recent years, but the group is also supported by Iran, a close ally of Assad. A third source said there was evidence of increasing collaboration between Hezbollah and Wagner in Syria.
The possibility that Hezbollah will soon have a new air defense system comes amid concerns that the militants are considering opening a new front in Israel’s war against Hamas, on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. The US has repeatedly warned Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups to avoid conflict and has stationed aircraft carriers and troops in the region to try to prevent potential escalation.
Israel has also targeted these missile systems in Syrian territory before, as part of broader Israeli attacks on Iranian military sites in the country.
The US intelligence community believes for now that Iran and its proxies are calibrating their response to Israel’s military intervention in Gaza to avoid direct conflict with the Jewish State.
However, Iran does not maintain perfect control over its proxy groups, particularly Hezbollah. Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas, the group that attacked Israel on October 7, and has long positioned itself as fighting against Israel.
US officials are deeply concerned that the group’s internal politics could cause Hezbollah to escalate tensions.
“Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is scheduled to give a major speech on Friday and intelligence officials will be closely watching for signals regarding the group’s intentions,” an official said.
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