Israeli arms factory set ablaze in Czech Republic

As tensions in the Middle East escalate, an Israeli arms factory was set ablaze in the Czech Republic, according to the Middle East Eye and agencies on March 20th.

Earthquake Faction, an underground group, claimed responsibility for the fire at the Elbit Systems plant, an Israeli defence contractor that has faced allegations of complicity in war crimes amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

The group describes itself as an “internationalist underground network that targets key sites critical to the Zionist entity… to destroy all limbs of empire from within, by any means effective”.

Reportedly, the site is a joint operation between a Czech company, LPP Holding and Elbit Systems, with the latter describing itself as the “backbone of the Israeli Army.”

Elbit Systems specialises in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), electronic warfare systems and advanced artillery; it is one of several defence contractors to face accusations of complicity in war crimes.

Weapons exports to Israel are not limited to the Czech Republic, as several European nations, including Germany, France, the UK and Denmark, have continued arms deals with Israel.

In October 2025, Eurospike, a subsidiary of Israel’s Rafael arms manufacturer, made a deal to supply the German military with anti-tank missiles.

On March 18th, Denmark’s Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by human rights groups that alleged the country was violating international law by continuing arms trading with Israel.

Furthermore, Serbia’s arms exports to Israel have reached record levels since 2023, with ammunition being sold to Ta’as Ma’arachot, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems.

Serbia has previously faced accusations of complicity in religiously and ethnically motivated violence during the 1990s, when ethnic Serbs were responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims and Croats.

However, Serbia is not the only nation with a history of religiously motivated violence to establish defence ties with Israel.

India’s Narendra Modi discussed defence cooperation with Benjamin Netanyahu during a state visit to Israel on February 25th.

Much like Netanyahu’s Likud-led governing coalition, Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has advocated violence against Muslims in India.

Hindu and Israeli nationalists both seek to establish an ethnically and religiously pure state, with Israel encouraging Jewish settlement in the occupied territories and India encouraging Hindu settlement in occupied Kashmir.

Middle East Eye and agencies, Al Jazeera and agencies, Maghrebi.org