France to Deploy Troops, Defences at Saudi Red Sea Port of Yanbu

France will deploy military personnel and defence equipment to Saudi Arabia to help guard Yanbu, a Red Sea port city central to energy transport, President Emmanuel Macron has said.

In a television interview, Macron described the arrangement as one finalised with Saudi authorities. The package, he said, would include soldiers along with radar and other defence systems, all intended to shield the site.

He stressed that the deployment is protective in nature and does not amount to French participation in any conflict. "This is the agreement we have finalised with the Saudis: 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," he said.

Yanbu's location on the Red Sea makes it a significant node for the movement of energy supplies. The French decision adds a European military presence to a corridor where security concerns have drawn growing attention.