France to Send Troops and Defense Systems to Protect Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu
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French President Emmanuel Macron said France will send troops, radar systems and defensive equipment to Saudi Arabia to help protect Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, as the city has grown in importance as a major outlet for Saudi oil exports away from the Strait of Hormuz.
Macron said in an interview with TF1 and France 2 on Thursday evening that arrangements had been finalized with Saudi Arabia, adding that the French mission would be limited to protecting the site and would not involve French forces in the military conflicts underway in the region. He did not disclose the number of troops involved or when the deployment would begin.
Yanbu receives oil transported from eastern Saudi Arabia through the East-West pipeline, allowing the kingdom to move millions of barrels per day to the Red Sea without passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia restarted the pipeline at limited rates this week after a drone attack damaged three pumping stations and halted crude loadings from Yanbu.
The French announcement comes as Paris separately faces mounting domestic pressure over sharply higher fuel prices. Macron has said prices at the pump have reached historic levels and affected household purchasing power, while the French government expanded assistance this week for families and sectors most exposed to rising energy costs.
Macron had addressed Yanbu several days before announcing the military deployment. On September 18, he said securing oil flows through the Red Sea was an important part of France’s efforts to protect energy supplies and ease pressure on prices, noting that Houthi attacks on Yanbu had sharply reduced volumes moving through the alternative route
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Tahani Elghazaly5118 Posts
