Israel will open its first-ever embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Thursday.
The election of Janez Janša as prime minister of Slovenia “marks a new chapter in relations between Israel and Slovenia. After years of the hostility of the previous government—we now have an opportunity to rebuild, strengthen, and deepen a real partnership,” Sa’ar tweeted.
“An Israeli embassy is more than a diplomatic mission. It is a statement of friendship, dialogue, and a shared belief in freedom, democracy, and security. We are turning today a new page. When Israel’s friends return to power—Israel returns,” he continued.
Today, I am proud to announce that Israel will open its first-ever embassy in Ljubljana.
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 4, 2026
The election of Prime Minister @JJansaSDS marks a new chapter in relations between Israel and Slovenia. After years of the hostility of the previous government- we now have an opportunity to…
On Wednesday, Sa’ar revealed that he discussed the prospect of opening the embassy during a phone call with Slovenia’s new foreign minister, Tone Kajzer.
The latter “pledged all the assistance necessary to ensure [the embassy’s] swift establishment,” Sa’ar wrote on X, adding that he invited his counterpart for a visit to Jerusalem.
“We also discussed the grave incident that occurred this week, at the end of the previous government’s term, when a flight operated by an Israeli airline was not permitted to land in Slovenia. The Minister made it clear that such a situation will not happen again,” the Israeli foreign minister added.
Excellent call with Slovenia’s new FM @TKajzer. I congratulated him on the inauguration of the new government and on assuming his position as FM.
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 4, 2026
I informed him of my decision to open Israel’s first-ever embassy in Ljubljana as soon as possible. The Minister pledged all the… pic.twitter.com/KJ3Fawj2RB
Also on Wednesday, an Israeli commercial flight was denied permission to land at Slovenia’s Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport and was instead diverted to Zagreb, Croatia.
According to Israir CEO Uri Sirkis, Flight 6H755, operating in European airspace, was redirected to Zagreb after Slovenian air traffic control denied it permission to land at its intended destination. Sirkis called the incident a “blatant violation” of international aviation agreements and said Israel’s Foreign Ministry had been informed.
The previous Slovenian government was one of the European Union’s most vocal critics of the Jewish state.
An Israeli official monitoring Slovenia’s political developments told JNS the Israir Airlines incident could reflect “a last hoorah” by the outgoing administration before the tone on Israel is reversed or softened.
