A Russian military expert could not confirm that a group of Egyptian air force pilots are in Syria as Iranian and Syrian media reported earlier, adding that Egypt has officially denied such reports.

Anton Mardasov, however, did not rule out the possibility of the presence of Egyptian military personnel in Syria, which would likely be “for exchanging military experiences”, not for taking part in combat.

Mardasov said that the Egyptian military has its own problems in Egypt, as it is busy fighting anti-government militant groups in the Sinai Peninsula, which makes it not useful for Egypt to take part in the Syrian conflict.

If any Egyptian military officers might be present in Syria, it would be for studying the country’s experience in fighting terror and the Russian and Syrian military operations in this regard.

Iranian and Syrian media outlets had recently reported that a group of Egyptian military pilots are in Syria’s Hama military base to support the Syrian military in its fight against the Islamic State group.

But the Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted sources in the Syrian defence ministry as well as sources in Russian military and diplomatic circles as denying the presence of Egyptian military personnel in Russia on the grounds that an Egyptian participation in the Syrian conflict would lead to further developments not only in war-torn Syria but in the entire region.

There has been no official confirmation of any Egyptian military presence in the country.

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Safir said in November that 18 Egyptian military pilots have joined the Hama air base in Syria.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi had said in an interview with Bulgarian TV that he supports the Syrian and Libyan national armies.

In response to a question about the possibility of an Egyptian military role as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission, Sisi said that it is better for national armies to carry out such missions internally so as to avoid the sensitivities tied to foreign military presence.