Ugand a’s military chief General Muhoozi Kainerugaba expressed solidarity with Israel in a barrage of posts on X, suggesting the East African country could enter the Iran war "on the side of Israel".
"We want the war in the Middle East to end now. The world is tired of it," Muhoozi posted on Wednesday. "But any talk of destroying or defeating Israel will bring us into the war. On the side of Israel!"
Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who serves as the chief of Uganda ’s armed forces is the son of incumbent President Yoweri Museveni. He is known for his outspokenness on X, giving his views on global events.
Although the military chief maintains that his views expressed on the social media platform do not necessarily reflect those of the state, analysts frequently interpret the comments as a signal of government policy.
In this case, Muhoozi’s stance on the US-Israeli war on Iran appears unequivocal. "If Israel needs help, it need only ask. Their Ugandan brothers are ready to assist," he said.
The Ugandan official directly threatened the Iranian government, warning that "if Tehran hits us with missiles. We shall retaliate with our own missiles".
In a now-deleted post, Muhoozi signalled the possibility that the country’s armed forces, known as the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), could get directly involved in the regional war while making light of Iran's military capabilities.
"I hear our friends in Israel are looking for a division to capture Tehran. Personally, I think a division is too much. A UPDF Brigade would do the job quickly," he said .
The statement comes as US President Donald Trump deployed thousands of additional troops to the Middle East amid mounting speculation about a possible ground invasion of Iran.
The Ugandan general's posts have caused friction with some legislators in Washington, with Republican Senator Jim Risch, as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warning that Muhoozi’s posts "crossed a red line" and could cause a review of a US-Uganda security cooperation agreement.
Muhoozi had previously posted about his intention to erect a statue honouring Yonatan Netanyahu, the brother of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was killed in 1976 in an Israeli commando operation to rescue hostages held on a plane at Uganda's Entebbe Airport.
Muhoozi said that he had planned for the statue to be erected "at the exact spot he was killed at Entebbe Airport".
Early on Thursday morning, Muhoozi posted a prototype of what the statue would look like.
Despite South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in a landmark case with the International Court of Justice, many African countries have chosen to remain 'neutral', with some deepening military and economic ties with Israel.
Israel has been able to maintain strong relationships through agreements with multiple other East African nations, including Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda.