France's plan to send troops to Saudi Arabia

President Emmanuel Macron, who was a guest on a joint broadcast of French TF1 and France 2 channels, said that France plans to send troops to Saudi Arabia to help protect a refinery and crude oil pipeline in the Yanbu port on the Red Sea, in order to increase efforts to limit the impact of the Iran war.

However, emphasizing that France "is not involved in any conflict", Macron added that the decision was finalized with the Saudi officials and said, "Today, we have completed this meeting with the Saudis. We will send military means, that is, we will send soldiers, radars and defense systems to protect the facility."

Saying that they will not be involved in any conflict, Macron stated that if the situation in the region improves in the coming days, fuel prices will drop rapidly.

Underlining that these decisions are not up to them, Macron said, "During this process, the government is acting to help the economic sectors that need it most."

Since the Iran war began, Yanbu has been one of the main supply points for diesel, crude oil and other refined products to Europe, blocking Saudi Arabia's exports from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. But this month, pro-Iran militias in Iraq damaged the pipeline with a drone strike, disabling it. Last week, the refinery had to close as a result of the Houthi militia's attack on the Yasref refinery in the region.

The attack shook global fuel markets and worsened the diesel supply crisis that has devastated world economies.

Asked whether France would deploy Rafale warplanes to protect the region, Macron said it would depend on how the situation develops, adding that some aircraft were already in the region.