Emmanuel Macron Announces Deployment of French Troops to Saudi Arabia

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will deploy military personnel, radar systems, and air defense systems to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil hub on the Red Sea, as Riyadh struggles to contain Houthi missile and drone attacks. Macron said French forces would not take part in combat but would protect the strategic energy facility under an agreement with Riyadh.  The announcement came after the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted six ballistic missiles heading toward Taif, home to a major Saudi air base, as well as the strategic port city of Yanbu. Macron told TF1 and France 2, “We will send military assets — troops, radar systems and defense systems — to protect the Yanbu site.”

Macron said the Yanbu facility, which handles several million barrels of oil, had been “very badly damaged” in previous attacks. The Red Sea port has become increasingly important for Saudi exports as the U.S.-Iran war has severely restricted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.  The Houthis said on Thursday that they had carried out missile and drone attacks against several “sensitive targets” in the kingdom, specifically naming Saudi Aramco infrastructure in Yanbu. According to Reuters, a Greek Patriot battery already deployed in Saudi Arabia also intercepted a ballistic missile and a drone in the wider Yanbu area on Thursday.  The Houthis have described their campaign as a war to drive Saudi-backed government forces out of Yemen, lift the blockade on Riyadh and restore the country’s sovereignty, while warning foreign powers against joining the Saudi campaign.

France is the latest country from which Riyadh has sought military assistance after Washington declined to provide the direct intervention sought by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Earlier this month, the Saudi leader reportedly asked U.S. President Donald Trump to order strikes against the Houthis, but Trump reportedly refused. Trump later noted that the Houthis were “letting most ships pass through the Red Sea” and were “focused on only one country.”  Instead, the United States has offered assistance with intelligence sharing and targeting, while U.S. forces remain focused on Iran. Riyadh has also requested additional assistance from France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt as its stockpiles of missile interceptors come under pressure.

Britain has already agreed to deploy an RAF Voyager tanker to provide aerial refueling for Saudi operations, alongside British air defense equipment and personnel already stationed in the kingdom. Pakistan, which has a mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, has pledged to defend the kingdom “to the fullest extent,” although Islamabad has not announced any new combat deployment.  Egypt has offered Riyadh “unwavering” political support but has not announced military assistance. Italy is also maintaining an air defense mission in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s latest appeals for assistance come as the Houthis are making significant territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, capturing strategic islands around Mokha and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.  The fighting is putting Saudi Arabia under pressure from both sides of the Arabian Peninsula: Iran has severely disrupted the kingdom’s traditional export route through the Strait of Hormuz, while Houthi advances and attacks are placing pressure on its alternative Red Sea route through Yanbu and Bab el-Mandeb.