Serbia's Arms Exports to Israel Surge Amid Regional Shifts
Belgrade's defense ties with Israel deepen as exports jump 140%, complicating its balancing act with Russia.
Serbia's Arms Exports to Israel Surge Amid Regional Shifts — In February 2024, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed gratitude for Serbia's "unwavering support" — a sentiment that now has a concrete price tag. [^1] Belgrade's munitions exports to Israel rose by 140% to €114 million in 2025, up from €16.3 million by mid-2024, part of a broader $1.6 billion deal with Elbit Systems. [^1] The numbers trace a quiet realignment: a 2026 agreement to facilitate intelligence and defense data exchanges has made Serbia one of Israel's closest allies in Europe. [^1] Yet Serbia still maintains close historic connections to Russia, and the general picture is one of growth and consolidation rather than a clean break. [^1] The Jerusalem Post frames this as a deepening partnership, while other outlets note the balancing act Belgrade performs between Moscow and the West. [^1] The question is whether arms sales to Israel — and the intelligence-sharing that follows — can coexist with Serbia's traditional ties to the Kremlin, or whether the export surge marks a point of no return. [^1] Ben Gvir's prison video, Gaza border pushback, and the third bloc's scramble — On Friday evening, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir published a video on Telegram from inside one of the Israeli prisons, asking a Palestinian female prisoner about her condition. When she complained, he replied: "The food should not be good, this is not a hotel, and whoever does things must think about their consequences. Whoever commits a crime must learn, especially if it is against the people of Israel." [^1] The clip surfaced as about 9,500 Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli prisons, including 94 women and more than 350 children. [^1] Ben Gvir's taunt—broadcast from within a detention facility—blurs the line between ministerial oversight and personal provocation, a distinction the attorney general's office is already contesting in another arena. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is petitioning the High Court of Justice for an interim injunction to stop the implementation of the new Mahash law, which she says is designed to establish "a political prosecution unit that will intimidate police officers,