Serbia Inaugurates New Factory to Assemble Advanced Israeli-Made Drones

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic inaugurated a new facility on Thursday dedicated to assembling advanced Israeli-made drones to supply the Serbian military and foreign armed forces. Operating in partnership with an unnamed Israeli company, President Aleksandar Vucic announced ambitious future plans in a social media video that captured his tour of the site alongside Israeli Ambassador Avivit Bar-Ilan. He stated that at least three additional factories will be established across Serbia in collaboration with Israeli partners.

According to President Aleksandar Vucic, the facility is expected to employ approximately 100 workers and manufacture state-of-the-art military equipment for both the Serbian Armed Forces and the armed forces of other nations. The exact location of the factory and the identity of the Israeli firm were kept confidential, with journalists barred from the opening ceremony due to the sensitive nature of the production process.

However, prior investigations by the investigative outlet BIRN and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz have previously identified the Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems as the partner collaborating with Serbia on this drone-manufacturing initiative. Elbit Systems has faced prior criticism concerning its involvement in operations in Gaza and the West Bank. Last month, President Aleksandar Vucic explained to the Serbian news outlet Nezavisne Dnevne Novine that the primary objective of the factory is to safeguard peace and stability while maintaining sufficient strength to deter potential aggressors.

As one of the few nations in the Western Balkans outside of NATO, Serbia has heavily invested in its military capabilities to maintain its neutrality. The country has previously faced scrutiny regarding its arms exports to Israel, which BIRN and Haaretz reported surged from 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million) in 2023 to 42.3 million euros ($48.5 million) in 2024. Earlier this year, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese noted during a visit to Serbia that Belgrade continues to be one of Israel's most steadfast and determined allies, despite international calls for nations to limit weapons exports amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.