JERUSALEM — Israeli defense companies may be forced to cancel their participation in the Paris Air Show after Israel’s strike against Iranian nuclear and military installations overnight.
The attack led Israel to announce the closure of its airspace on Thursday night and Friday night and evacuated its main airport while diverting flights to airports in neighboring countries. Israeli security officials currently estimate that the civilian airport will remain closed for at least 3 days.
Officially, there is no change in the intention of major Israeli weapons companies to participate in the marquee Paris event, which starts on Monday.
The countries largest aerospace firm, Israel Aerospace Industries, on Friday announced the cancellation of a Monday briefing by CEO Boaz Levy through a public relations agency. A spokeswoman there said the company was evaluation the situation, with a final decision on participation dependent on “developments.”
The Israeli national airport closure is due to Israel’s preparations for an Iranian Missile attack. Several hours after the Israeli strike, Iran responded by launching about 100 unmanned aerial vehicles towards Israel, with all UAV’s intercepted outside Israeli borders, according to the Israeli government.
Tzally Greenberg is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has experience reporting on economic affairs as well as defense and cyber companies.
