French organizers at Eurosatory, one of Europe’s largest defense exhibitions, boarded up Israeli defense industry pavilions overnight, triggering a furious response from Israel’s Ministry of Defense and deepening an already bitter fight between Jerusalem and Paris.

The move came after Israeli companies had already complied with French government restrictions that barred them from displaying offensive systems and limited them to defensive technology, including air and missile-defense systems. Israel’s Defense Ministry said the companies “met the French government’s outrageous demands and displayed solely defensive systems,” yet still found their booths sealed off behind wooden barriers as the exhibition opened near Paris.

“This is a cynical, discriminatory, and unsurprising move aimed at shutting Israeli technology out of an international exhibition,” the ministry said, adding that Israel’s defense exports would keep growing “despite French efforts to conceal Israeli technological superiority from the world.”

14 of the 30 Israeli companies at Eurosatory were blocked, including Aeronautics, SmartShooter, Controp, Orbit Communication Systems, Marom Dolphin and others. The larger Israeli defense giants, including Rafael, Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems, reportedly continued showing their platforms. Israeli industry figures said meetings would still go ahead, even if the booths were covered.

France had already barred official Israeli government participation at Eurosatory, blocked a national Israeli pavilion and restricted Israeli firms to air-defense displays only. It follows a pattern as France tried to block Israeli firms from Eurosatory in 2024, a move later overturned by a French court, and Israeli booths were also covered at the 2025 Paris Air Show.