Lebanon has banned Wonder Woman from showing in the country’s movie theaters because the film’s lead actor, Gal Gadot, is Israeli.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Economy issued the ban just before the film was scheduled to premiere in Lebanon, which is officially at war with Israel.

Wonder Woman has been promoted around Lebanon and was scheduled to premiere in the country until hours before the ban went into effect. Lebanon’s Grand Cinemas movie theater chain announced the ban on its Twitter feed.

Though Wonder Woman had passed the country’s normal screening procedures, the Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel-Lebanon put pressure on the government to block the film, describing it as “the Israeli Soldier film”.

Gadot, who is from Tel Aviv, was a combat trainer in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) for two years and crowned Miss Israel at age 18. The Campaign had previously tried to block Lebanon’s screenings of Batman v Superman, which also features Gadot as Wonder Woman, but was unsuccessful.

That role propelled Gadot into the spotlight. Her previous work had included a recurring role in the Fast and the Furious franchise and modeling.

Gadot’s rising star power has also brought attention to her politics. Shortly after being named as Wonder Woman, Gadot highlighted her experience with the IDF in a 2014 Instagram post.

Below a picture of herself praying with her daughter, Gadot wrote: “I am sending my love and prayers to my fellow Israeli citizens. Especially to all the boys and girls who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas, who are hiding like cowards behind women and children ... We shall overcome!!! Shabbat Shalom! #weareright #freegazafromhamas #stopterror #coexistance #loveidf”

Elie Fares, a well-known Lebanese blogger, wrote that the push for a boycott was inconsistent with the country’s history of screening movies that include Israeli-born actors, including Natalie Portman and Gadot – whose Fast and Furious films also screened in Lebanon.

Fares said: “You’d think if they want their ban to make the least of sense, they’d have done it a year ago when the movie’s first trailer was released, not in the week of its release after it’s been given a green light, handling massive financial losses to the Lebanese company that won its distribution rights.”

Wonder Woman is predicted to make $175m worldwide this weekend, a record for a female-led superhero movie. It has received mostly strong reviews, achieving a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.