KOTA BHARU: The Defence Ministry (Mindef) is prepared to deploy the Armed Forces personnel to the Middle East to provide support in handling the safety of Malaysian students following the Iran-Israel conflict.
Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said Mindef would discuss with the Foreign Affairs Ministry and obtain information on the latest developments of the situation in the Middle East.
"If there is a request for assistance, Mindef will provide it, 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, here, on Sunday (April 21).
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 Armed Forces veterans, Adly said there were 212,000 pensionable and non-pensionable veterans, adding that their data was updated through the Vibes 2.0 system, allowing them to receive assistance.
Stressing that no veteran was left behind, he said 27,000 individuals out of 41,000 non-pensionable veterans nationwide were receiving the Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) assistance totalling RM300 per month based on the poverty line of RM1,196.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
