Macron Says France Will Protect Saudi Oil Port

French President Emmanuel Macron said France would send soldiers, radar systems and air-defence equipment to protect Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu oil port, describing the plan as finalized with Saudi authorities while stressing that French forces would not join the fighting. Macron announced the planned deployment in a televised interview on September 24. The reports do not establish when personnel or equipment will arrive or whether the deployment has begun. The French and Saudi governments’ next public confirmation of its implementation was not included in the available information. Yanbu, on the Red Sea, is an important outlet for Saudi oil exports and provides an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz. Macron said the site had been severely damaged in an attack. That account was attributed to him, and the available reports do not independently verify the extent of damage or the facility’s current operating status. The announcement followed reported Houthi attacks on Saudi targets. The Houthis claimed to have struck targets in the kingdom, including Aramco infrastructure in Yanbu, according to one account. The claim was not independently confirmed in the material available.