Uganda’s Chief of Defense Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said Thursday that his country may join the ongoing Iran-Israel war on the side of Israel if threats to the nation continue.

In a series of posts on X, Kainerugaba stressed that “Israel has a right to exist and attacks against her must stop” and added, “We want the war in the Middle East to end now. But any talk of destroying or defeating Israel will bring us into the war. On the side of Israel!”

He also claimed that the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) has offered support to both Israel and the United States, asserting in one post that military action could have swiftly captured Tehran if necessary. Some of his remarks were later deleted.

Kainerugaba’s statements follow efforts to strengthen Uganda-Israel ties. Last month, he announced plans to erect a statue honoring Lt.-Col. Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at Entebbe International Airport, the site where Netanyahu was killed during the 1976 rescue of hostages from an Air France flight hijacking.

The monument is intended as a symbol of the growing relationship between the two nations, reflecting Uganda’s long-standing cooperation with Israel on security matters. No formal government announcement has been made regarding the statue.

The remarks signal Uganda’s increasingly vocal support for Israel amid escalating tensions with Iran, raising the prospect of broader international involvement in the conflict.