France to send troops and defence systems to protect Saudi port of Yanbu

Paris, France. France will send troops, radar systems and defence systems to help protect the Saudi Arabian port city of Yanbu, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. The Red Sea port is a key route for energy transport.

Protecting an oil export route

Crude oil prices have surged recently as Yanbu, the main alternative route for Saudi oil exports, has come under missile attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.

“We are going to send military resources, that is to say, soldiers, radar systems and defence systems, to protect this site – not to get us involved in any conflicts, but to protect this site,” Macron told TF1 and France 2 during a primetime interview.

Facing pressure at home over high energy prices, Macron said France had adequate gas and oil supplies ahead of winter and that Paris was working to keep flows from being disrupted. He also said a US ban on diesel exports would be “catastrophic” globally and for the US economy. The White House has denied that such a ban is under consideration.

Warnings about Russia

Macron denied a report by Spanish newspaper El Mundo that the US Central Intelligence Agency had warned European governments about possible drone attacks from the Mediterranean. “I can deny it. The CIA did not inform French services,” he said.

He warned that Russia was multiplying hostile and criminal acts against European countries and that France could face strikes similar to a failed attack in Leipzig. Germany has said Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport in August.

Macron briefed French party chiefs at the Elysee last week on the growing threat from Russia. He later said he had ordered his government to prepare a plan to protect critical infrastructure against drone and cyber attacks.