Surge in Serbian Arms Sales to Israel: What’s the UAE’s Role?

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported a significant increase in arms sales from Serbia to Israel, despite international calls to suspend arms exports to Israel due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

According to the report, state-owned Yugoimport-SDPR exported over $8 million worth of weapons to Israel in July 2024 alone, bringing the total value of Serbian arms and ammunition exports to Israel this year to €23.1 million (approximately $25.5 million).

Haaretz analysis has noted at least 15 flights from the Serbian capital, Belgrade, to an Israeli airbase since December last year.

The newspaper highlighted that the Balkan state “continues to ignore concerns regarding alleged war crimes against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”

In May, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution to ban arms exports to Israel due to the Gaza conflict.

In response, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the council had adopted an anti-Israel resolution, pointing out that “the UN condemns Israel for the war in Gaza but does not mention Hamas or its crimes on October 7.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk remarked on August 15, “The world is entering a dark phase. Today, Gaza mourns 40,000 Palestinian deaths.”

In early July, Middle East Eye revealed significant connections between a Serbian arms manufacturing company supplying the Israeli military and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The state-owned Serbian arms manufacturer, which sells weapons to Israel, has secured lucrative arms deals with the UAE.

Moreover, the Serbian state-owned arms company, recently exposed for selling millions of dollars’ worth of weapons to Israel, has maintained decades-long ties with the UAE.

According to a report by Balkan Insight, Yugoimport-SDPR, Serbia’s primary state-owned arms trading company, exported at least $17.1 million worth of weapons to Israel in 2024 via Israeli military and civilian aircraft.

The report also noted that Serbia’s arms interests extend throughout the Middle East.

Following the global financial crisis, cash-strapped Serbia sought billions of dollars in loans from the UAE in 2013. While seeking Emirati investments, Serbia also pursued arms deals.

In 2013, the two nations announced their first arms deal, which included Serbia’s agreement to export armored personnel carriers to the UAE and the joint development of a surface-to-surface guided missile. The deal was valued at around $214 million at the time.

The UAE also made a substantial investment in Air Serbia, although Serbia is now preparing to take over the UAE’s share in the state airline.

Serbia has continued to collaborate with the UAE on arms deals. In 2022, the Serbian Ministry of Defense signed an agreement with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan—then the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces—to sell a “significant quantity of ammunition” to the Gulf state, according to a press release from the Serbian Ministry of Defense.