Speaking to FRANCE 24, Nir Barkat, Israel's economy minister called France's decision to ban Israeli offensive weapons from the Eurosatory defence fair "shameful", warning that Israel would "bypass France" to reach its customers. He argued Israel had "no choice but to eliminate" Iran's capabilities, and said he preferred "to be alive and deal with my image" rather than worry about Israel's battered reputation abroad.
Speaking to FRANCE 24, Nir Barkat, Israel's economy minister, former mayor of Jerusalem and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, described France's decision to ban Israeli offensive weapons from the Eurosatory defence fair as "shameful". Barkat warned that Israeli companies would "bypass France and get to our customers", arguing that the move was damaging relations between the two countries. 'No choice but to eliminate' Tehran's capabilities On Iran, Barkat said Israel had "no choice but to eliminate" Tehran's capabilities, including what he described as its nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile programme and network of proxy forces across the region. He acknowledged that the task was "not over", adding that it would be up to Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump to decide whether the next phase would come through diplomacy or "another round of war".
