Responding to questions at a press conference, Vucic said that Serbia was the only country in Europe which had been exporting arms to Israel after the Hamas attack on October 7. But he said that after Israel’s attack last week on Iran – codenamed Operation Rising Lion – the country has stopped.

“One thing is what we were exporting after October 7, and another is the situation today. We have now halted everything and are sending it to our own army,” Vucic said.

He added that Serbia exported ammunition, not weapons, and that around 24,000 people made their living from these exports.

A BIRN investigation earlier this year showed how Serbia exported 42.3 million euros of arms and ammunition to Israel in 2024 – a 30-fold increase since 2023.