KOTA BHARU, April 21 — The Defence Ministry (Mindef) is prepared to deploy Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) personnel to the Middle East to provide support in handling the safety of Malaysian students amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.
Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said Mindef would also discuss the latest developments in the Middle East with the Foreign Affairs Ministry and obtain information on them.
“Mindef will provide assistance if requested, but we have not received any.
“We will continue to communicate and collaborate, including with the Higher Education Ministry, given that the students involved are under that ministry,” he said during the Jiwa Komuniti Madani programme and the Madani Hari Raya Celebration today.
On Friday (April 19), Israel launched an attack on Iran after Tehran launched 300 drones and missiles toward Israel last weekend, which were mostly intercepted.
Iran unleashed the massive aerial strike in retaliation for a suspected Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus early this month.
Meanwhile, commenting on the welfare of MAF veterans, Adly said there are 212,000 pensionable and non-pensionable veterans whose data is updated through the Vibes 2.0 system, allowing them to receive assistance.
Stressing that no veteran is left behind, he said 27,000 individuals out of 41,000 non-pensionable veterans nationwide are receiving the Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) assistance totalling RM300 per month based on the poverty line of RM1,196.
— Bernama
