Serbian police shot dead a knife attacker outside Israel’s embassy in Belgrade, after the man wounded a guarding officer just after midnight on Wednesday.
The Serbia Israeli embassy incident began when a black-clad individual opened the door of a guard house in front of the embassy. The man, armed with two knives, rushed at the policeman inside, according to the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecution Office.
The attacker threw one knife at the officer, hitting him in the left cheek. The officer, identified only by the initials D.S., then fired several shots and killed the attacker on the spot.
Prosecutors qualified the officer’s action as justified and in self-defence. The investigation was continuing at the time of reporting.
Serbia Israeli embassy incident: what officials said
Serbia’s outgoing Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said police were treating the incident as a terrorist attack. He said the attacker was a minor whose identity had not yet been established, and who was believed to be from the western city of Sabac.
Dacic said security services had been monitoring the attacker, who he described as a supporter of the Daesh group. He said the attacker’s Instagram profile featured a black flag and the Daesh emblem.
Dacic raised Serbia’s terrorism threat level to red, its highest level. That step means tighter security checks and a stronger police presence at sensitive sites, including infrastructure and places where large crowds gather.
Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed the attempted terrorist attack. It said no embassy personnel were injured, and that the mission was closed at the time of the incident, which took place late at night. It said Serbian authorities were investigating.
Outside the embassy, journalists saw heavily armed special police guarding the entrance and patrolling the street. Police photos showed the guard booth, police tape and officers in full gear at the scene.
A second attack at the same embassy
The Belgrade embassy has been targeted before. In June 2024, an attacker armed with a crossbow seriously wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the embassy. That attacker was also shot dead by a guard.
The 2024 attacker was identified at the time as a 25-year-old man from a village near Belgrade who had converted to Islam and later embraced extremist views, according to reports of that incident.
The repeat attack, two years later, explains the swift decision to raise the threat level. Serbian authorities moved to protect diplomatic sites and crowded places before any wider pattern could emerge.
The incident also came a day after Israelis voted in a national election. Exit polls showed no clear winner, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition both short of a majority. That election context does not explain the Belgrade attack, and officials have not linked the two events. It does, however, show the tense backdrop against which the news travelled.
What remains unclear
Several facts remain unconfirmed. The attacker’s full identity has not been established. His exact age, beyond the description as a minor, has not been published. Officials have not said how long he was monitored, or what specific warnings, if any, preceded the attack.
The motive, beyond the minister’s account of the attacker’s online profile and the shout reported at the scene, also remains a matter for the investigation. Readers should treat the Daesh-supporter claim as the minister’s statement, not as a court finding.
The next steps are clear in outline. Prosecutors will complete their investigation into the shooting. Police will keep the higher threat level in place until they judge the risk has eased. The embassy will review its own security in consultation with Serbian authorities.
For now, the confirmed facts are narrow but serious. One officer was wounded in the face. One attacker was killed. No embassy staff were hurt. Serbia’s terror alert stands at its highest level.
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Frequently asked questions
What happened outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade?
A knife attacker wounded a guarding officer and was shot dead by that officer just after midnight on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
