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Mysterious flights between Tel Aviv and Belgrade raise suspicions of weapons transport

2026-03-11 17:50:29Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Mysterious flights between Tel Aviv and Belgrade raise suspicions of weapons

From Tel Aviv to Belgrade and then back to Tel Aviv.

This was the route of an Israeli transport plane on March 5, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty found through an analysis of specialized flight tracking websites.

The aircraft was intended for transporting heavy and dangerous cargo, such as weapons.

However, it is not clear what it was transporting, as the responsible institutions have not provided clarification.

This is not the only time that a transport plane from the private Israeli company "Challenge Airlines IL" has landed in Belgrade in the last month.

REL has discovered that during February and early March, two transport aircraft of this company made at least nine flights between Serbia and Israel, in both directions.

Two of these flights were recorded after the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran.

Radio Free Europe asked the Serbian Ministries of Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Trade about these flights and what was transported on them, but received no response.

The Israeli company that owns the transport aircraft did not respond either.

Serbia suspended arms exports at the end of June last year, following an instruction from President Aleksandar Vucic.

This happened at the height of the Israeli-Iranian conflict and amid accusations from Moscow that Serbia, through intermediaries, was exporting ammunition to Ukraine.

But, according to information confirmed to Radio Free Europe by two state-owned arms factories, arms exports outside Serbia resumed in February.

Despite REL's continued efforts, state institutions in Serbia have not revealed what they export, to whom, and under what conditions.

According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, in 2025, Serbia exported weapons and ammunition worth about $50 million.

This is half the amount recorded in 2024, when exports, according to the same data, exceeded $104 million.

However, these are not final amounts, as the exact data is not publicly available.

Serbia, for years now, has not published what weapons and military equipment it exports, to whom, and in what quantities.

What do they say at Belgrade Airport?

Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport does not provide details about what was transported by cargo planes that flew from Belgrade to Tel Aviv and vice versa in February and March.

In its response to Radio Free Europe, it is stated that the airport allows airlines to use its infrastructure "in accordance with international and national regulations governing the transport of passengers and various types of cargo in air traffic."

It is not clear who hired the private Israeli airline, as the relevant ministries did not respond to Radio Free Europe's questions.

Israel's Challenge Airlines describes itself as an airline specializing in transporting "non-standard cargo."

According to data from its website, it owns three Boeing aircraft intended for cargo traffic.

The company reportedly offers regular services between Tel Aviv and European countries, as well as the United States, via Liege Airport in Belgium.

It also says it has various security licenses for air cargo transport, issued by the European Union, the US, China and other countries.

It emphasizes that it is trained to transport a variety of goods - from food to explosives, medicines and large machinery.

Since the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East in late February, a large part of international air traffic in that region has been suspended and the flow of goods has been significantly reduced.

However, Challenge Airlines continues to fly to Israel and provide cargo services.

Earlier, in November 2024, Belgian media reported that this airline had filed complaints against federal and regional regulations in Belgium that restrict the transport of weapons and military equipment to Israel.

According to them, Challenge Airlines denied at the time that it was transporting weapons, claiming that it was sending humanitarian aid and food to Israel.

The plane also landed in June 2025

Radio Free Europe monitored the flights of two cargo planes of the company "Challenge Airlines", with registration marks 4X-IAJ and 4X-ICK, which arrived at Belgrade Airport.

One of them, the 4X-ICK plane, landed in Belgrade in June 2025, at the time of the introduction of the arms export embargo.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić refused to answer questions about the plane at the time, stating: "I don't think I can say what took off and what landed."

The website "Flight Radar" recorded the flight history of this plane throughout the past year.

In addition to Belgrade, the same cargo plane has also flown to other European cities and the United States in recent months.

The United States is Israel's largest arms exporter - with shipments worth billions of dollars. Two-thirds of Israel's arms imports come from the US.

From Serbia, according to Vučić's claims, the shipment of ammunition has increased since October 2023.

At that time, Israel was attacked by Hamas - a Palestinian organization that the US and EU consider terrorist.

Izraeli, më pas, nisi një ofensivë tokësore në Rripin e Gazës, e cila çoi në vrasje masive të civilëve palestinezë, shkatërrim qytetesh dhe krizë humanitare.

Kombet e Bashkuara e kanë akuzuar Izraelin për shkelje të rënda të të drejtave të njeriut dhe krime lufte.

Edhe para se autoritetet e Beogradit të pranonin se dërgesat e armëve në Izrael janë përshpejtuar, ekipet ndërkombëtare të gazetarëve hulumtues kanë raportuar se eksportet e armëve nga Serbia në Izrael janë rritur për 30 herë që nga tetori i vitit 2023.

Vuçiq më pas u bë cak i kritikave nga një pjesë e opozitës dhe publikut në Serbi, sipas të cilëve, ai - në këtë mënyrë - është rreshtuar me autoritetet izraelite.

Megjithatë, pas sulmit të Izraelit ndaj Iranit në qershor të vitit 2025, Vuçiq vlerësoi se të dyja vendet ishin “miqësore” me të, ndërsa Ministria e Mbrojtjes e Serbisë njoftoi se eksporti i armëve dhe pajisjeve ushtarake, sipas udhëzimeve të presidentit, është pezulluar.

“Një degë e tërë e industrisë është ndaluar, që nga qershori e këndej, pa bazë ligjore... sepse dikush dëshiron kështu”, thotë analisti ushtarak serb, Aleksandar Radiq.

Ai shton se, përveç njoftimit të Ministrisë së Mbrojtjes dhe deklaratave të Vuçiqit, nuk është publikuar asnjë dokument zyrtar për këtë “embargo”.

Punëtorët në fabrikat e armëve thonë se eksportet kanë rifilluar

Shteti serb nuk konfirmon se “moratoriumi” mbi eksportet është hequr, por punonjës të dy fabrikave shtetërore armësh në Serbi e pohojnë një gjë të tillë.

Ata thonë se në shkurt të vitit 2026 kanë marrë një letër, ku thuhej se, pas një ndalimi tetëmujor, eksportet jashtë vendit do të rifillonin.

“Sindikata mori informacion nga udhëheqja se shteti ka miratuar një pjesë të eksportit të armëve ushtarake”, thotë për Radion Evropa e Lirë Aleksandar Tadiq, kryetar i sindikatës në fabrikën “Zastava Oruzhja” në Kragujevc.

“Ne nuk e dimë zyrtarisht se kush janë blerësit, nga cilat vende, por ky është hapi i parë dhe i mirë për fabrikën, sepse ishte në një situatë të vështirë, për shkak të ndalimit të eksportit”, thotë Tadiq.

Ai shton se dërgesat e armëve sportive të gjuetisë, të cilat prodhohen gjithashtu në këtë fabrikë në Serbinë qendrore, kanë filluar “shumë kohë më parë” drejt Shteteve të Bashkuara, të cilat janë ndër partnerët kryesorë për këto dërgesa.

Udhëheqja e fabrikës “Zastava oruzhja” nuk iu përgjigj pyetjeve të Radios Evropa e Lirë në lidhje me eksportet.

Në Uzhicë, në Serbinë perëndimore, ku ndodhet selia e fabrikës së armëve “Prvi Partizan”, punëtorët morën të njëjtin lajm.

“Ne morëm informacion rreth një muaj më parë se eksportet kanë filluar; nuk kemi ide se ku ose çfarë do të shkojë”, thotë për Radion Evropa e Lirë një prej pjesëtarëve të sindikatës së kompanisë “Prvi Partizan”, duke folur në kushte anonimiteti.

Administrata e kësaj fabrike nuk e konfirmoi këtë informacion për Radion Evropa e Lirë.

The headquarters of other state-owned arms production and trade companies, which are members of the Serbian Defense Industry, did not respond either.

Similarly, Serbia's Ministry of Defense did not indicate whether arms exports abroad have resumed and under what conditions.

Did Serbia export weapons during the "moratorium"?

"Since June of last year there is strong evidence that the export has continued, in some exceptional situations, when someone has decided to do it," says military analyst Aleksandar Radiq.

This is also confirmed by the fact that, while a ban on arms exports was in force in Serbia, according to the instructions of the president, Azerbaijan and Cyprus boasted artillery weapons from Serbian factories.

Last year, Azerbaijan displayed the "Nora" self-propelled howitzers, while Cyprus displayed the "Tamnava" rocket launchers.

"Both systems first appeared in the second half of 2025 and it is very possible that they were exported after the 'moratorium' was announced," Katarina Djokic of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) tells Radio Free Europe.

Serbia is obliged to report on the export of heavy and light weapons, in accordance with international conventions. These international reports are published mid-year, for the previous year.

"But most of the exports are not visible there, because large quantities of ammunition (which are not subject to these declarations) are being taken out of Serbia. The value and volume of ammunition exports cannot be seen from these declarations," says Radic.

According to the law, permits for the export of weapons and military equipment are issued by the Serbian Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade.

They require the consent of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Defense, and the Security and Intelligence Agency.

An End User certificate, certified by an official body of the user's country, is also required.

When issuing a permit, care is taken to ensure that the export does not violate international sanctions, does not threaten respect for human rights in the country of final destination, and does not enable the outbreak or continuation of armed and other conflicts in the country of final use. (REL)


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