Russia’s Wagner preparing to provide air defense to ‘Hezbollah or Iran’: White House

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House, on Nov. 20, 2023, in Washington. (AP)

• Wagner, at the direction of the Russian government, was preparing to provide an air defense capability to either Hezbollah or Iran

WASHINGTON: The White House said Tuesday that Russia’s mercenary Wagner group was preparing to bolster the air defenses of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement or the regime in Tehran, as part of an “unprecedented defense cooperation” between the two US adversaries.
“Our information... indicates that Wagner, at the direction of the Russian government, was preparing to provide an air defense capability to either Hezbollah or Iran,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.