French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, 24 September 2026, that France would send troops, radars and defence systems to Saudi Arabia to help protect energy facilities in the Red Sea coastal city of Yanbu, following attacks on a key route for transporting Saudi oil exports.
We will send military resources — troops, radar systems and defence systems — to protect this site, not to become involved in any conflicts, but to protect this site
Details of the French deployment in Yanbu
The announced French deployment includes personnel, technical resources and defence equipment dedicated to securing the Yanbu site. The site is a vital point for receiving oil transported through the pipeline running from eastern Saudi Arabia to its western coast, before it is exported via the Red Sea. Macron did not specify how many troops France would deploy or the types of defence systems and radars to be sent, and he did not announce a timetable for the mission to begin.
He stressed the defensive nature of the move, denying that its aim was to draw French forces into a military confrontation. The French Foreign Ministry said earlier on Thursday that Paris was prepared to help secure Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure when it came under attack, and that any action in this context would be taken at the request of the Saudi authorities.
Paris stresses the defensive nature of the mission
The French approach was also described as strictly defensive. The announcement came after attacks by the Houthis targeted energy-related facilities and routes in Saudi Arabia, including facilities in Yanbu and the pipeline linking the kingdom’s east and west. The attacks reduced the volume of oil transported along the route, while Paris said the Yanbu corridor had been disrupted in recent days.
The East-West pipeline has become increasingly important to Saudi oil exports as supply traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has declined. The pipeline transports crude from production areas in the kingdom’s east to the Red Sea coast, providing an alternative export route away from the strait.
Macron said on 18 September that the pipeline ending in Yanbu had enabled the transport of several million barrels a day, before those volumes fell sharply following the Houthi attacks. On 21 September, he said that less than half of the oil produced was reaching overseas markets amid disruptions to export routes.
The French move comes amid rising oil and fuel prices and pressure related to supply security. Macron said France was working to ensure the continued flow of gas and oil as winter approached, and sought to reassure the French that sufficient supplies were available despite disruption to energy transport routes in the region.
