France to send troops and air defences to Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu
France will send troops, radar systems and air defence equipment to Saudi Arabia to help protect the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. He said the deployment is intended to safeguard the site, which he described as key for energy transport, rather than draw France into any conflict. The announcement came during a primetime television interview in which Macron also addressed wider security concerns facing Europe and the Middle East.
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Macron said the French deployment would include soldiers, radar systems and defence systems. He linked the move to recent pressure on energy routes, saying crude oil prices had risen as the main alternative route for Saudi oil exports through Yanbu had come under missile attacks from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement. He also said a US ban on diesel exports, which the White House has denied is under consideration, would be catastrophic globally and for the US economy.
The French president used the interview to argue that France had adequate gas and oil supplies as winter approaches, while saying Paris was working to ensure energy flows were not disrupted. He also denied a report that the US Central Intelligence Agency had warned European governments of possible Russian drone attacks from the Mediterranean. Macron said the CIA had not informed French services, and added that Russia was multiplying hostile and criminal acts against European countries.
The decision matters because Yanbu is part of the infrastructure that helps move Saudi oil to international markets, making it strategically important well beyond Saudi Arabia. Any disruption to that route can affect energy prices and supply expectations at a time when European governments are already sensitive to fuel security. The move also shows how security concerns in the Red Sea continue to overlap with broader tensions involving Iran-backed Houthi attacks, Russian activity in Europe and the stability of global energy markets.
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Macron's comments came as he sought to reassure the French public over energy supplies and as he faced domestic pressure over high energy prices. He said France was preparing to protect critical infrastructure and had recently briefed party leaders on the growing threat from Russia. The interview also followed his warning that France could face strikes similar to the failed attack in Leipzig, which Germany has said Russia was responsible for in an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport in August.
What remains unclear is the timing, size and duration of the French deployment, and how it will be coordinated with Saudi authorities. It is also not clear whether the measures will alter the security situation around Yanbu or the wider Red Sea shipping and export routes. For now, the announcement signals a more direct French role in protecting energy infrastructure at a moment of heightened regional and geopolitical tension.
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