France Deploys Troops to Defend Saudi Oil Port After Houthi Missile Attacks
Paris sends soldiers and air defenses to Yanbu as Riyadh intercepts six ballistic missiles targeting the Red Sea terminal and Mecca.
KEY POINTS
- France deploying troops, radars, and air defenses to Saudi port of Yanbu
- Saudi forces intercepted six Houthi ballistic missiles targeting Yanbu, Taif, Mecca, Jeddah, Tabuk
- Yanbu is critical Red Sea oil export hub amid Hormuz Strait disruptions
- Houthi naval blockade and coastal gains since July truce collapse threaten Saudi oil routes
- Iran denies directing Houthi attacks; coalition pledges firm response
France will send soldiers, radars, and air-defense systems to the Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu to protect critical oil infrastructure from Houthi attacks, President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday. The deployment was agreed with Saudi authorities and described as strictly defensive.
Saudi air defenses intercepted six Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Yanbu, Taif, Jeddah, Tabuk, and the Mecca region earlier Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said. Civil defense alerts for those areas were lifted minutes later.
“We are going to send military means — soldiers, radars and defense systems — to protect this site, not to involve ourselves in any conflict, but to protect this site.”
Yanbu handles storage, processing, and export of Saudi crude via the Red Sea, providing an alternative route when the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. Houthi forces, backed by Iran, have blockaded Saudi tankers and seized stretches of Yemen's Red Sea coast since renewed fighting shattered a truce in July.
The coalition vowed to confront Houthi "escalations and violations" firmly. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian denied Tehran directs Houthi operations, saying the group acts independently.
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