France to Deploy Troops and Military Support to Protect Saudi Oil Export Port of Yanbu

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to send French military assets and troops to protect oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.

In an interview with French broadcasters TF1 and France 2 on the 24th local time, President Macron stated, "We will send military assets, including soldiers, radar systems, and defense systems, to protect the Yanbu base on the Red Sea."

However, drawing a line, he emphasized that French forces would not directly engage in combat, saying, "We are not intervening in any conflict, and (the dispatch of military assets) is solely to protect this facility."

Located on the Red Sea coast, the port of Yanbu has served as a key hub allowing Saudi oil product exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and head toward Europe following the outbreak of the war with Iran.

The Houthis, an Iran-backed militia and Yemeni rebel group, have been escalating threats against alternative Red Sea shipping routes in alignment with Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

In particular, as the Houthis have directly attacked Saudi Arabia, the global economy has entered a phase of further volatility driven by heightened uncertainty in crude oil supplies.

Asked about the possibility of deploying Rafale fighter jets to protect the Yanbu port facilities, President Macron responded that "some aircraft are already deployed in the region" and that decisions would depend on how the situation unfolds.

On the same day, the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks targeting facilities belonging to Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco at the port of Yanbu.

Saudi Arabia announced that it had intercepted ballistic missiles fired toward its territory.

Recently in Saudi Arabia, a pipeline stretching from east to west to the port of Yanbu—crucial for bypassing the Strait of Hormuz—was temporarily shut down due to a drone attack by pro-Iranian armed groups in Iraq.

The Houthis also struck Aramco's refinery and oil export facilities in the Yanbu region, halting operations and dealing a blow to crude oil and diesel supply chains heading to Europe.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.