France to send 'military means' to protect Saudi oil port: Macron

President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday France would send "military means" to help shield the key Saudi oil terminal of Yanbu from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

"We are going to send military assets, meaning soldiers, radars, and defence systems to protect this site," he said during an interview with TF1 and France 2 during the evening news.

The recent Houthi takeover of Yemen's Red Sea coast has cemented the hold of Iran and its regional allies over two key waterways in the Middle East -- and the straits of Bab al-Mandab and Hormuz -- both major shipping arteries for global flows of energy.

The world's biggest crude exporter Saudi Arabia has been relying on the Red Sea port of Yanbu to export its oil, after Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Middle East war.

The Houthis have carried out attacks against facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu.

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Saudi Aramco