Israel has halted defense trade with France, three senior Israeli sources confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday morning, with the Defense Ministry later formally confirming the decision.
Defense Minister Israel Katz and Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram formally ordered the halt, but a decision of such significance could only be made if it were also a priority for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Sources told the Post that the decision was a result of France adopting a hostile attitude toward Israel over the last two years, forcing Israel to reevaluate how much it could trust sharing its defense products with the country.
It was unclear exactly how the decision would impact both countries, given that France has been boycotting Israeli weapons since midway through the Israel-Hamas War, and given that a source clarified that existing contracts would be honored and private companies could still make deals.
Israel may still purchase defense products from France
While economic ties between the two nations remain intact, defense cooperation has cooled significantly.
However, for larger deals requiring government-to-government involvement, and even for Israeli products that have only defensive characteristics, France may lose significant opportunities.
Germany and other NATO countries have been rushing to purchase Israeli air defense and other systems in response to new threats posed by Russia since Moscow began its ongoing war to try to take over Ukraine in 2022.
Some of the major points of friction between Israel and France have been over Paris’s push to end the war in Gaza prior to a point where Israel’s government believed it could bring Israeli hostages home and keep Hamas down as a future threat.
France also led a wave of countries recognizing a Palestinian state in September 2025, viewed in Jerusalem as a penalty for continuing the war.
In addition, France has pressured Israel to reduce its attacks on Hezbollah during the 2023-2024 conflict, while Israel’s full hostilities remained reduced – but not eliminated – in 2024 and during the current conflict.
Despite the disagreements, France helped defend Israel from Iranian missiles and drones in 2024, and the countries might still cooperate in various intelligence and other capacities.
For example, France helped snap back global nuclear sanctions on Iran in the summer of 2025.
Nevertheless, President Emmanuel Macron halted the flow of French weaponry to Israel in late 2024, citing the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza, and for the past two years has blocked Israeli defense companies from exhibiting at arms fairs in the country.
More specifically, the Defense Ministry said that France prevented the participation of dozens of Israeli defense companies at EuroSTORY 2024, blocking the Israeli defense industries’ exhibition booths at the 2025 Paris Air Show, freezing export licenses to Israel, the UN declaration of a Palestinian state at the height of the fighting with Lebanon, and the recent prohibition on Israeli aircraft carrying munitions intended for operations against Iran from overflying French airspace.
Next, the ministry said that it views the French government’s policy "with serious concern," as it undermines security cooperation with Israel, a country that is actively operating on the front line against Iran and protecting the security of the Western world.
France is actively obstructing the transfer of munitions to Israel, which is engaged in operations against Iran – a country whose ballistic missiles are capable of reaching European cities, including Paris, said the ministry.
Next, the ministry stated that the French prohibition was imposed despite prior coordination, despite clear explanations that the munitions were intended "solely for Iran," and despite the understanding that this effort is critical for European security as well.
In light of these developments, Baram "has decided to reduce all defense procurement from France to zero, replacing it with domestic Israeli procurement or purchases from allied countries.
In line with the Ministry’s strategy, "Israel will continue to build full defense autonomy, without relying on unreliable countries" that fail to meet their obligations and prioritize political moves over the security of Western citizens.
Additionally, the National Security Council and the Ministry of Defense have informed the French Minister of Armed Forces that "we do not intend to hold a meeting with her, and that there will be no new professional engagement with the French military."
A meeting between the sides had been planned for the near future.
Later, US President Donald Trump slammed Macron and France for being "very unhelpful" in the war with Iran.
"The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory," he wrote in a Truth Social post.
"France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the “Butcher of Iran,” who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!! President DJT."
Anna Ahronheim contributed to the report.