Uganda’s Top General Pledges Military Support to Israel Against Iran

Uganda's military commander and presidential son has made headlines with social media posts promising to send troops to help Israel fight Iran. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba cited religious beliefs and historical ties between the two nations as reasons for his support.

Uganda’s top military commander has sparked international attention with a series of social media declarations promising to deploy troops alongside Israel in its conflict with Iran.

General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who leads Uganda’s armed forces and is the son of President Yoweri Museveni, made the bold statements across multiple posts this past week, calling for Middle East peace while simultaneously threatening military intervention.

“We want the war in the Middle East to end now. The world is tired of it. But any talk of destroying or defeating Israel will bring us into the war. On the side of Israel!” Kainerugaba declared in his posts.

The general justified his position through religious conviction, stating in follow-up messages: “We stand with Israel because we are Christians,” and “Uganda is the David that was forgotten and neglected by the world. We will defeat the giant, Goliath.”

Kainerugaba went further by encouraging Israel to conduct a ground offensive against Iran, suggesting Ugandan military personnel could participate in such operations.

When faced with backlash over his comments, the general defended his stance by pointing to historical cooperation between the nations. “Israel stood with us when we were nobodies in the 1980s and 1990s. Why wouldn’t we defend her now that our GDP is $100 billion? One of the largest in Africa,” he responded.

The relationship between Uganda and Israel has deep military and intelligence connections, with Israeli forces having provided training to Ugandan personnel, including Kainerugaba himself.

However, ties between the countries haven’t always been positive. Under the brutal dictatorship of Idi Amin, Uganda became the location of a dramatic 1976 hijacking incident involving Air France Flight 139, which had originated in Tel Aviv bound for France before being redirected to Entebbe Airport.

Israeli commandos executed a daring long-distance rescue operation on July 3, 1976, successfully liberating 106 hostages, most of whom were Israeli citizens.

The mission’s sole fatality was Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, the brother of current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who received posthumous recognition for his heroism during the operation.

Kainerugaba also posted an image of a memorial statue honoring Yoni Netanyahu, accompanied by the message: “This is a sneak peek of the ‘Yoni’ statue that will soon be unveiled at Entebbe International Airport. Godbless Uganda and Israel.”