Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, answering a journalist’s question on Tuesday about last week’s BIRN/Haaretz investigation on Serbia’s plans to produce drones with the Israeli arms giant Elbit Systems, said that he is proud of the partnership.
“Are they praising me or criticising me? Well, I think they’re praising me, because we don’t know how to make drones like Israel does, and I’m proud of that. We will do it together, it will be 50-50 per cent, and that shows we will have the best drones in this part of the world,” Vucic said.
“Thanks for the kind words to me and let them continue their work,” he said.
President Vucic also said that he is proud of Serbia’s arms export to Israel, an issue BIRN and Haaretz have reported on extensively in the last two years.
The president used the opportunity to mock investigative media outlets. “What I find funniest is when BIRN and CINS [Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia] supposedly ‘catch’ me and say: here’s one export flight that went to Israel today, or somewhere else,” Vucic said. “Just one? I hope there will be three, then three the next day, and like that every day, because that speaks about our success and shows how smart we are in securing our country’s defence and security systems, and we will continue to do so.”
“So, everything they criticise me for is true, they are right about everything. We are doing everything they think we are, and much more, and we will continue,” Vucic said.
BIRN and Haaretz published a story last week about a planned drone factory in Serbia that will be co-owned by top Israeli arms company Elbit Systems and Serbia’s main state-owned import-export company, SDPR – with the Israeli partner having a majority stake of 51 per cent.
According to official documents obtained by BIRN/Haaretz and two independent sources, Elbit and SDPR plan to produce two types of drones for short- and long-range missions.
Elbit becomes major partner
Early last year, Elbit Systems sold Serbia advanced artillery systems and drones worth $335 million. In August 2025, another deal valued at $1.6 billion was signed for the delivery of drones, long-range missiles, electronic warfare systems and other military equipment to Belgrade.
The same month, BIRN reported that the Belgrade-based company Edepro – which describes itself as a “regional leader in propulsion system solutions” for rockets, drones, and missiles – had exported goods to IMI Systems, which has been owned by Elbit Systems since 2018.
Elbit Systems is Israel’s number one defence contractor, however, it has long been criticised for its role in Israeli operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
In a June 2025 report, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese named Elbit Systems among a number of companies profiting from “the ongoing genocide” in Gaza, where more than 70,000 Palestinians have died in Israeli military operations since the October 2023 attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas.
Its role in Gaza has raised concerns internationally. AFP reported that Spain cancelled a 700 million euro deal for Elbit rocket systems after banning military trade with Israel over Gaza.
Last month, a group called The Earthquake Faction claimed responsibility for a fire at a factory owned by LPP Holding, which partnered with Elbit on drone development. The Earthquake Faction said they aimed to disrupt Israeli operations in Gaza.
The partnership with Elbit arguably takes defence ties between Serbia and Israel to a new level. The value of Serbian arms exports to Israel has already skyrocketed 42-fold since 2023, reaching 114 million euros last year, despite accusations that Israel committed genocide in Gaza and calls from United Nations human rights experts for a halt to the delivery of deadly weapons.
Israel denies accusations of genocide.