The French government didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.
Eurosatory starts on June 15 in Villepinte, in the Paris region. The arms fair is a chance for the world’s largest weapons-makers, including Germany’s Rheinmetall, the U.S.’s Lockheed Martin and South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace to showcase their military equipment, including tanks, artillery systems and rocket launchers.
The move is likely to deepen a monthslong diplomatic rift between France and Israel, that culminated when Paris recognized Palestinian statehood in September last year. In March, Israel announced it would stop all defense procurement from France.
On Monday, the French government sharply condemned Israel’s assault in Lebanon and called for a U.N. Security Council emergency meeting.
It’s not the first time that France, which hosts some of Europe’s largest land, naval and air shows, has barred Israeli companies from attending. In 2024, the French government banned them from Eurosatory and naval arms show Euronaval over Israel’s war on Gaza, and from the Paris Air Show in June last year.
“This is a disgraceful decision, one that reeks of political and commercial calculation,” the Israeli defense ministry said in its statement, hinting France was also banning Israeli companies because they’re competing with the French industry.