The Defence Ministry will be seeking clarification from the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) whether Malaysian military personnel are involved in a Saudi Arabian military mission, said its minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
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Saudi Arabia participated in air strikes as part of a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State militants over the weekend, a U.S. Department of Defense spokesman said on Tuesday.
A small Pakistani defence contingent remains stationed in Saudi Arabia under a bilateral arrangement.
Prior to this, the minister had stated that Malaysian troops have been sent to Saudi Arabia for training purposes.
He added that the training, which involves several other countries, has been ongoing for the last 15 years, long before the military operations in Yemen.
On Thursday, after initial reports about Saudi military movement on the border began to emerge, Hezbollah brigades started mobilizing their forces to the border to prevent a Saudi incursion.
Among them are Saudi Arabia’s five partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Chad, Egypt, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Senegal and Tunisia.
The news agency did not provide much information on what the exercise entails but called it “the largest in the region’s history”.
The Islamic State group, which holds territory in Iraq and Syria, has launched several attacks in Saudi Arabia.
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The massive maneuver, which is expected to take place until February 25, has already aroused resentful reactions from both the Iraqi authorities and Hezbollah fighting units located in Iraq, fearing that it might be the beginning of a Saudi incursion into the country. Some 20 Arab, Islamic and friendly countries, in addition to the Peninsula Shield forces are taking part.
