A Serbian policeman was injured in a crossbow attack outside the Israeli embassy in the capital, Belgrade.
The officer then shot and killed the attacker, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told reporters.
Dasic said the attacker, who authorities have not yet identified, hit the officer in the neck.
The officer was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery to treat his wounds and his condition is reported to be life-threatening.
Serbian broadcaster B92 quoted Dacic as saying the attackers approached a small building in front of the Israeli embassy at around 11:00 (09:00 GMT), allegedly to inquire about the museum.
The man then opened the door to the small building, pulled out a crossbow and fired at the officer, Dasic said, according to the report. The police then fired back, and the attacker died about half an hour later.
Dacic said the case had been taken over by a special prosecutor and several other people had been arrested as a precautionary measure.
While the interior minister suggested the attack could be part of a larger threat, Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic called it a “personal crime”.
He described the incident as “an act of madness that cannot be blamed on any religion or any country,” according to comments carried by the Beta news agency.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the embassy was closed at the time of the incident and that no employees were injured.
The incident in Belgrade does not appear to be the first time an attack on the Israeli embassy has been attempted since Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, triggering the war in Gaza.
