CNN: Al-Assad agreed to hand over an air defense system to Hezbollah

CNN reported on Friday, citing two sources it described as familiar with intelligence information, that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad agreed to deliver a missile system to the Lebanese Hezbollah with the help of the Russian Wagner Group.

According to the American network, the two sources said that Vagens was assigned the task of delivering the Russian-made SA-22 system. But she said it was unclear whether the handover had actually taken place or how far it had gone. She indicated that Russia had provided the Syrian government with this system for use, and quoted one source as saying that the United States had recently been monitoring the movements of this system.

The second source stated, according to the network, that the American assessment in this regard is partly based on discussions between Assad, Wagner, and Hezbollah regarding the delivery of this defense system, according to its description. The American Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Wagner may provide Hezbollah with this system. But she did not talk about any role for Assad.