NEW YORK (VINnews) — Organizers of the prestigious Eurosatory 2026 arms exhibition in France decided overnight to close the booths of several Israeli defense companies that had planned to display their systems at the event, in a move similar to restrictions imposed at last year’s fair, according to a Ynet report.

Among the Israeli companies whose booths were closed were Smart Shooter, Controp, Orbit, Aeronautics, Marom and Source.

In response, representatives of Controp wrote a message on the wall placed by organizers in front of the company’s booth, effectively blocking it from view. The message said that Controp’s long-range cameras had “’defeated’ Iranian ballistic missiles, but lost to French short sightedness.”

Not all Israeli booths at the exhibition were closed. The move applied only to companies displaying offensive weapons systems, while booths belonging to firms presenting defensive systems remained open, including Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael and Elbit Systems.

One representative of a major Israeli company told Ynet: “We are not giving in to the French and we are exhibiting.”

The French government had already barred the opening of Israel’s official national pavilion on June 4, in a letter sent by Nicolas Roche, secretary-general of France’s equivalent of the National Security Council, to the Israeli Embassy in Paris.

The official explanation given for the decision was that it was “consistent with the French diplomatic position, which seeks peace and stability in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.”

Opening the booths was made conditional on an inspection by ballistic experts on behalf of the French national security body. Israeli experts believe the items in question may represent direct competition to France’s defense industry.

Col. Sagi Fink, Israel’s military attaché in France, told Ynet: “We will be there and fight for our right to exhibit like everyone else, regardless of politics or commercial competition.”

Last year, the French government also decided to ban Israel’s official participation in the international Eurosatory arms fair in Paris. Under that decision, Israeli government representatives and Defense Ministry officials were not allowed to take part in the exhibition, and Israel was barred from setting up a national pavilion.

As with this year, private Israeli companies displaying defensive weapons systems were allowed to participate.