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CNN: Assad Agrees to Send Missile System to Hezbollah

File Photo: SA-22 missile system
File Photo: SA-22 missile system
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CNN: Assad Agrees to Send Missile System to Hezbollah

File Photo: SA-22 missile system
File Photo: SA-22 missile system

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to provide the Lebanese Hezbollah with a Russian-made missile defense system, according to two sources familiar with the intelligence, CNN reported on Friday.

The Wagner Group has been tasked with carrying out the delivery of the surface-to-air SA-22 missile system, the sources said. It is not clear whether it has already been delivered or how close it is to delivery.

The system was originally provided by Russia for use by the Syrian government, the sources said.

One of the sources said the US has been monitoring the recent movement of the system.

The other source said the US assessment was based partly on discussions among Assad, Wagner, and Hezbollah about the delivery of the system.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Wagner may provide the system to Hezbollah.

Assad’s role has not been previously reported.

The possibility that Hezbollah could soon have a new air defense system comes amid concerns that the militants are considering opening a new front in Israel’s war on Hamas, on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, CNN added.

The US has repeatedly warned Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups to stay out of the conflict and has positioned aircraft carriers and troops in the region to try to deter a potential escalation.

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World Food Program Launches Probe Into its Sudan Operations

Evacuees move their belongings on donkeys, following devastating floods, in Tokar, Red Sea State, Sudan, August 28, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
Evacuees move their belongings on donkeys, following devastating floods, in Tokar, Red Sea State, Sudan, August 28, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
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World Food Program Launches Probe Into its Sudan Operations

Evacuees move their belongings on donkeys, following devastating floods, in Tokar, Red Sea State, Sudan, August 28, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig
Evacuees move their belongings on donkeys, following devastating floods, in Tokar, Red Sea State, Sudan, August 28, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig

The UN World Food Program is investigating two of its top officials in Sudan over allegations including fraud and concealing information from donors about its ability to deliver food aid to civilians amid the nation’s dire hunger crisis, according to 11 people with knowledge of the probe.
The investigation by the WFP’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) comes as the UN’s food-aid arm is struggling to feed millions of people in war-plagued Sudan, now suffering one of the world’s most severe food shortages in years.
As part of the probe, investigators are looking at whether WFP staff sought to hide the alleged role of Sudan’s army in obstructing aid amid a brutal 16-month war with a rival paramilitary for control of the country, according to five of the sources who spoke to Reuters.
One of those being examined in the inquiry is the WFP’s deputy country director in Sudan, Khalid Osman, who has been given a “temporary duty assignment” outside Sudan, a de facto suspension, according to six sources.
A second senior official, WFP area manager Mohammed Ali, is being investigated in connection with the alleged disappearance of more than 200,000 liters of the UN organization’s fuel in the Sudanese city of Kosti, according to four sources. Reuters could not confirm whether Ali remains in his role.
Osman and Ali declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, referring the news agency to the WFP’s media office.
Asked about the probe by Reuters, the WFP said that “allegations of individual misconduct related to irregularities in pockets of our operation in Sudan” are under urgent review by its inspector general’s office. It declined to comment on the nature of alleged wrongdoing or the status of specific employees.
The US government’s aid agency, USAID, told Reuters in a statement that it was notified by the WFP on Aug. 20 of “potential incidents of fraud affecting WFP operations in Sudan.” USAID says it is the single largest donor to the WFP, providing nearly half of all contributions in a typical year.
“These allegations are deeply concerning and must be thoroughly investigated,” the USAID statement said. “USAID immediately referred these allegations to the USAID Office of the Inspector General."