Amid ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East and widespread suspension of commercial flights to Israel, a cargo aircraft from Tel Aviv landed in Serbia on the evening of June 23.
The Boeing 747–412F, registered as 4X-ICK and operated by Israeli private carrier Challenge Airlines, arrived at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport late Sunday. The following day, it departed for Nevatim, an Israeli military airbase near Beersheba in the country’s south.
The nature of the cargo on board remains unknown.
The flight came just hours after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced a halt to weapons exports, specifically naming Israel. Despite this, the aircraft—capable of transporting hazardous and military-grade cargo—flew a roundtrip route between Israel and Serbia.
Serbian authorities have not commented on the cargo or purpose of the flight. The Israeli airline, as well as Serbia’s Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs, and Trade, did not respond to requests for comment.
According to flight tracking data from FlightRadar24, the aircraft’s route on June 24 traced a direct path from Belgrade to Nevatim. It was the eighth such trip between Israel and Serbia made by the same plane since October 2024.
Serbia has not disclosed public data on its arms exports to Israel or other destinations. While export permits are issued by the Ministry of Domestic and Foreign Trade, annual reports detailing such authorizations have not been published in recent years.
In response to questions from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Belgrade Airport confirmed it had received timely notice of the aircraft’s arrival and departure, stating its obligation is to provide infrastructure access “on equal terms” for all users in accordance with national and international aviation regulations.
No further explanation was offered.
Challenge Airlines describes itself as a specialist in transporting non-standard, sensitive, or hazardous cargo. Its fleet includes three Boeing freighters equipped for handling complex shipments. In November 2024, Belgian media reported that the airline had filed legal objections to Belgian regulations limiting arms shipments to Israel. The company denied transporting weapons, saying it carries humanitarian aid instead.
Despite a formal announcement by President Vučić on June 23 that Serbia had suspended weapons exports, including to Israel, the Israeli cargo aircraft landed in Belgrade just 90 minutes later.
Speaking again on June 24, Vučić said Serbia “imports many things” from Israel but declined to clarify whether the flight was related to arms transfers.
“There are things we hope to receive in our country, but I won’t say what flew in or out,” he said.
According to FlightRadar24, the same aircraft has made multiple trips to and from Belgrade—on October 30 and December 16, 2024; January 22 and 23, 2025; and several times in May and June 2025. In all cases, its final destination in Israel was the Nevatim Air Base, which has been targeted repeatedly by hostile forces since the October 2023 outbreak of the conflict in Gaza.
The United States remains the largest arms supplier to Israel, with deliveries valued in the billions of dollars. Germany and Italy rank second and third, respectively.
In early June, Vučić gave an interview to The Jerusalem Post, describing Serbia as the only European country engaged in military cooperation with Israel. He confirmed that Serbia had accelerated weapons deliveries following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel. Afterward, Israel launched a ground offensive in Gaza that killed thousands of Palestinians and drew international condemnation.
A joint investigation by international journalists earlier this year found that Serbia’s arms exports to Israel had increased thirtyfold since October 2023.
Facing criticism from the opposition and civil society over the apparent military alignment with Israel, Vučić insisted on June 23 that “we are currently exporting nothing” and that all supplies were being directed to Serbia’s own military.
Despite that statement, the return of the Israeli cargo plane the following day raised fresh questions about the government’s consistency and transparency.