In a development that puts new scrutiny on cross-border arms transfers to Israel, Belgian authorities have seized two separate shipments of undeclared military components originating from the United Kingdom that were en route to Israel. The seizure comes after Belgium implemented a policy banning aircraft carrying military equipment bound for Israel from landing in its territory or transiting its airspace.
The interception followed a formal alert sent to Brussels authorities last month by a coalition of transparency and advocacy groups: British investigative outlet Declassified, Belgian non-governmental organization Vredesactie, Irish news platform The Ditch, and the Palestinian Youth Movement. The groups tipped officials off to the weapons-bound shipments traveling from the UK to Israel via Belgium’s Liege Airport.
According to tracking details, the two consignments departed the UK on March 23 and were intercepted at Liege Airport the following day. A specialized engineering inspection of the packages uncovered mislabeled cargo: fire control systems and spare parts designed for military aircraft, which had not been accurately declared on shipping documentation.
Belgian federal authorities have confirmed they have opened a formal criminal investigation into the unauthorized shipments, but have declined to publicly identify the companies named in the initial complaint. However, the regional government of Wallonia, the southern Belgian region where Liege Airport is located, has publicly named one implicated firm as Moog, a U.S.-headquartered aerospace manufacturer that operates multiple production facilities across the United Kingdom.
Investigative reporting from Declassified has uncovered additional context: a shipping postcode linked to Moog’s Wolverhampton, UK factory was used to send similar components to Israel via Belgium as early as December 2024. Moog produces key flight actuators for the M-346 trainer aircraft used by the Israeli Air Force to train new military pilots.
Sources familiar with the shipment tracking process told reporters the components were exported from the UK under an Open Individual Export Licence, a mechanism that classified the goods as general aircraft parts rather than restricted military equipment. The same sources also confirmed that at least 17 separate consignments linked to Moog have been shipped from the UK to Liege Airport, all with final destinations in Israel.
A freedom of information request filed by the tracking team further revealed that the UK Foreign Office holds no documented correspondence with Belgian authorities regarding the transit of UK-sourced military components to Israel via Belgian territory.
The seizure comes months after the UK government implemented a partial suspension of arms sales to Israel in September 2024. At that time, UK officials halted 30 of 350 active arms export licenses to Israel, citing a “clear risk” that the equipment could be used to violate international humanitarian law in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
In a formal statement responding to inquiries about the seizures, the UK’s Department for Business and Trade said: “We have suspended all licences for equipment for Israel that might be used in military operations in Gaza, with the exception of the special measures relating to the global F-35 programme. Exports of controlled equipment are subject to strict licensing requirements. It would be a criminal offence for an exporter not to have the required licences in place before exporting such items.”
A Walloon government spokesperson told Declassified that the mislabeled goods unequivocally require a transit license under Belgian law, saying: “In our view, the goods do indeed require a transit licence… We have already contacted our lawyers. We wish to… take all necessary steps to ensure that the law is upheld.”
A separate spokesperson for the Belgian federal government added: “No transit licence request was issued; if it had been, it would have been refused.”
Middle East Eye, which first broke the full details of the seizure, has reached out to Moog for official comment on the allegations. The outlet provides independent, on-the-ground coverage of the Middle East, North Africa and broader global affairs.