Defense Minister Anušić Visits Israel, draws rebuke from President Milanović

Defense Minister Ivan Anušić is on an official visit to Israel, where he met with his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, in Tel Aviv. The ministers discussed the security situation in the Middle East and bilateral cooperation, with a particular focus on defense industry ties.

During his visit, Anušić is also meeting with Israeli defense contractors. An Israeli company produces the self-protection system installed on the Leopard tanks Croatia is purchasing from Germany.

“I want to underscore that the system used by Croatia’s armed forces on the Leopard tanks—the Trophy system—makes the Leopard one of the best tanks in the world,” Anušić said. “We also discussed export licenses for these systems and general cooperation between our ministries, including intelligence policies, defense industry cooperation, and the sharing of technology and knowledge. It is important to note that these discussions are between our ministries and governments. The armed forces are not participating in these meetings.”

President Zoran Milanović reacted sharply to the visit. In a statement, he said that last May he ordered all military cooperation with Israel to cease, citing the Israeli army’s actions in Gaza and alleged violations of international humanitarian law.

“Members of the Croatian Armed Forces will not participate in any way in the implementation of any arrangement, contract, or agreement with the Israeli army or military industry. I call on the Government of the Republic of Croatia—which is responsible for the procurement of military equipment—to suspend all planned arrangements, contracts, or agreements involving weapons and military equipment from Israel,” the statement read.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković dismissed the president’s criticism, emphasizing that Anušić was not in Israel in a military capacity.

“Minister Anušić is attending in his capacity as a politician, not as a soldier. Therefore, the president has no authority to dictate where government ministers may travel. We do not question his own travels, so this statement is not particularly relevant to us. Cooperation in the defense industry also does not fall under his authority,” Plenković said.

He added that Croatia is seeking to strengthen its armed forces by cooperating with countries that can help achieve that goal.