Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that he is halting arms exports to Israel. This became clear after a meeting of the extended staff of the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, BGNES reported.

The decision comes just one day after a demonstration against arms exports was held in Belgrade, organized by the group “Support for the People of Palestine - Serbia” and supported by student protesters.

Aleksandar Vučić said that he was taking into account not only the security of the state but also the security of employees in the defense industry. Vučić also announced that Serbia wants to establish a closer strategic partnership with the United States, while acknowledging that “there is no doubt that they trampled on international law” by attacking Iran's nuclear facilities on Saturday night.

Earlier this month, the Serbian head of state told the Jerusalem Post that Belgrade had increased its exports of weapons and ammunition to Israel over the past two years. According to a joint report published by Balkan Insight and Haaretz, arms exports to Serbia have increased 30-fold since October 2023, reaching €42 million last year.

In exchange for these exports, Serbia has received advanced espionage and surveillance systems from Israel. A report by Amnesty International published in December 2024 stated that digital repression aimed at suppressing protest movements in Serbia was provided by the Israeli company Cellebrite. Through them, the Vučić regime extracted data from mobile phones. Cellebrite's tools allowed the authorities to unlock the phones of investigative journalists and environmental activists questioned by the police without a code.

Serbia imported sound cannons through the company Jugoimport SDPR, such as the one used against peaceful demonstrators at the mass rally in Belgrade on March 15, in which many people were injured. І BGNES