{ "archive_path": "archive/1790330648.650457", "base_url": "www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities", "basename": "france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities", "bookmarked_date": "2026-09-25 10:04", "canonical": { "archive_org_path": "https://web.archive.org/web/www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities", "dom_path": "output.html", "favicon_path": "favicon.ico", "git_path": "git/", "google_favicon_path": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=www.twz.com", "headers_path": "headers.json", "htmltotext_path": "htmltotext.txt", "index_path": "index.html", "media_path": "media/", "mercury_path": "mercury/content.html", "pdf_path": "output.pdf", "readability_path": "readability/content.html", "screenshot_path": "screenshot.png", "singlefile_path": "singlefile.html", "warc_path": "warc/", "wget_path": "www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities.html" }, "domain": "www.twz.com", "extension": "", "hash": "KKCCX016QT3B2A7X11JT", "history": { "archive_org": [], "dom": [], "favicon": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--max-time", "120", "--output", "favicon.ico", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=www.twz.com" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:20.732709+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "favicon.ico", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790330648.650457", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:20.092260+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "git": [], "headers": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--head", "--max-time", "120", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:21.056852+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "headers.json", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790330648.650457", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:20.739407+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "htmltotext": [], "media": [], "mercury": [ { "cmd": [ "/app/node_modules/@postlight/parser/cli.js", "https://www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities" ], "cmd_version": "1.0.0", "end_ts": "2026-09-25T16:20:03.453017+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "mercury", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790330648.650457", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:59.834523+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "pdf": [], "readability": [ { "cmd": [ "/app/node_modules/readability-extractor/readability-extractor", "/tmp/tmpf7kyc4x3", "https://www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities" ], "cmd_version": "0.0.11", "end_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:59.820292+00:00", "index_texts": [ "France is sending military assistance to Saudi Arabia to protect the Yanbu oil facilities as the Kingdom battles the Iran-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen. The move comes amid growing concerns about the remaining flow of oil from the region, which France, as well as the rest of Europe, relies upon heavily. \n\n\n\nIn a live television interview Thursday night Paris time, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was sending an unspecified number of troops and equipment to the Saudi Arabia to protect the Yanbu energy hub, located on the Red Sea.\n\n\n\n\u201cThis is the agreement we have finalized \u200bwith \u2060the Saudis,\u201d Macron explained. \u201cWe are going to send \u2060military resources, that is to \u200bsay, soldiers, radar systems and defense \u2060systems, to protect this site \u2014 \u2060not \u200bto get us involved in any conflicts, but to \u2060protect this site.\u201d\n\n\n\nThe French leader did not elaborate on the exact equipment he would send, how many troops, or when they would arrive. Nor did he address what would happen if French personnel were killed or injured or equipment damaged or destroyed. We have reached out to the French Embassy for further details. Based on his mention of radars and seeing that the threat to Saudi oil infrastructure is almost entirely from aerial attacks from drones and missiles, these will likely be air defense forces. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nNous agissons pour prot\u00e9ger nos compatriotes des cons\u00e9quences de la crise au Moyen-Orient. Objectifs\u00a0: s\u00e9curiser les approvisionnements et faire baisser les prix \u00e0 la pompe. pic.twitter.com/kvrgHcV4E4\u2014 Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 24, 2026\n\n\n\n\n\nThe decision was prompted by repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks as well as suspected strikes from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on Saudi Arabia\u2019s oil infrastructure. Yanbu in particular is a key installation. As we have explained in the past, Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels of oil per day through pipelines to its Yanbu port on the Red Sea in an effort to minimize the energy shortages due to the hostilities around the Persian Gulf.\n\n\n\nAn infographic illustrating how Saudi Arabia has diverted oil from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea. (Photo by Murat Usubali/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu\n\n\n\nBefore Macron\u2019s announcement on Thursday, the Houthis claimed they had carried out two more waves of attacks on Saudi targets, including one on the Saudi Aramco facility in Yanbu, \u201cusing a number of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones.\u201d\n\n\n\nIn addition, the Houthis claimed they struck Riyadh.\n\n\n\nThere was no immediate Saudi confirmation of an attack on the Saudi capital. Saudi civil defense did not issue an emergency alert for Riyadh on Thursday.\n\n\n\nEarlier in the day, the Houthis said they struck \u201cenemy command and control centers, operations rooms, weapon depots, missile launch platforms, and military sites belonging to Saudi-led enemy formations in Jizan,\u201d a Red Sea port city.\n\n\n\n\u201cThe Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that it had shot down six ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militia, in what appeared to be one of the largest cross-border attacks by the group since its conflict with Saudi Arabia [flared back up],\u201d The New York Times reported.\n\n\n\nThe missiles were aimed at the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, claimed on X. \u201cEscalations and violations by the terrorist Houthi militia will be dealt with firmly,\u201d he stated, without specifying where the missiles were intercepted.\n\n\n\nTWZ cannot independently verify any of these claims.\n\n\n\nToday\u2019s attacks are the latest in the escalating conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, the Houthis imposed a blockade on the Bab al-Mandab Strait (BAM) and began striking Saudi ships in the southern part of the Red Sea as well as critical energy terminals on that body of water and Saudi refineries. Iranian proxies have also struck the vital East-West pipeline that carries oil to the Red Sea to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran vastly curtailed shipping after the launch of Operation Epic Fury. The East-West pipeline reportedly reopened after being shut down following a long-range drone attack.\n\n\n\nThe Saudi Arabian East-West pipeline after it was damaged by an attack. Satellite image \u00a92026 Vantor \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe stark reality facing Macron is that if Saudi oil infrastructure and transport nodes near the Red Sea are destroyed or the pipeline that feeds it is shut down for months the last major oil lifeline from the region \u2014 and especially to Europe \u2014 will be closed off, sparking a deeper energy crisis.\n\n\n\nIran has already severely curtailed the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel attacked it on Feb. 28. The movement of oil has been further impeded by a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. However, transits have been increasing as of late, thanks in large measure to U.S. military escorts that U.S. Central Command claims have allowed more than a billion barrels of crude to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Still, the traffic is far below what it was before the war broke out.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHaving both the Strait of Hormuz largely closed and energy exports out of the Red Sea shut down simultaneously is a nightmare scenario. By Thursday evening Eastern time, the per-barrel price of Brent crude oil shot up to nearly $107, according to OilPrice.com. It had fallen below $100 per barrel just two days earlier.\n\n\n\nGiven all this, the French president sought to offer reassurance about oil supplies, according to France 24.\n\n\n\n\u201cHe said he had carried out \u2018intense diplomatic activity,\u2019 meeting in recent weeks with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Nigeria, all hydrocarbon suppliers, to ensure France keeps receiving the same volumes,\u201d the publication noted.\n\n\n\n\u201cWe have replenished gas stocks and also oil stocks\u201d for the months ahead, the French president also said.\n\n\n\nMacron\u2019s decision follows one by the U.K.\u2019s\u00a0 Royal Air Force (RAF) on Tuesday to deploy one of its Voyager aerial refueling jets to help Saudi Arabia defend against Houthi attacks. As with the French move, it is a response to concerns about the flow of oil.\n\n\n\n\u201cEscalating tensions in the Gulf could have negative consequences here in the UK\u2014such as rising prices, disruptions to energy supplies, and increased costs for British businesses,\u201d the U.K. Defense Ministry (MoD) explained in announcing the deployment. \u201cThe Houthis pose a threat to stability in the Middle East; therefore, it is in the UK\u2019s national interest\u2014economically and in terms of security\u2014that they do not succeed in their aims.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cWe unequivocally condemn Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and our position is clear: both Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government have the right to self-defense,\u201d the ministry added.\u00a0\n\n\n\nThe jet will operate from a U.K. air base in Cyprus and will begin air-to-air refueling operations in the coming days, the BBC reported.\n\n\n\nA Royal Saudi Air Force Voyager aerial refueling jet. (Air Tanker) \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe French and British deployments contrast decisions by the U.S. and other nations not to get involved with the Saudi-Houthi fight.\n\n\n\nLast week, Trump turned down a direct plea from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom\u2019s de facto leader, to attack the Houthis. Meanwhile, Pakistan and Turkey, which signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia, have yet to provide any direct military aid. The pact holds that an attack on one is considered an attack on all; however, it doesn\u2019t stipulate exactly what actions should be taken.\n\n\n\nThe security situation in Yemen has drastically deteriorated since the launch of Epic Fury after the Houthis joined the U.S.-Iran conflict on the side of their major supporter.\n\n\n\nThe Houthis have been directly attacking Saudi Arabia over claims that the kingdom has imposed a blockade on them. Beyond that, the mostly dormant civil war between the Houthis and internationally recognized Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, reignited in the wake of operation Epic Fury.\u00a0The Houthis have made large territorial gains in the renewed conflict, including capturing the port city of Mokha and two key islands in the Red Sea. This has strengthened the Houthi hold on the BAM. You can read more about that in our story here.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. The Houthis have reportedly attempted to seize ROYG-controlled islands in the Red Sea from which Houthi fighters could launch attacks on international shipping. Houthi forces reportedly landed on the Hanish Islands in the southern Red Sea on the morning of September 10 after\u2026 pic.twitter.com/tiFPgNDOHZ\u2014 Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) September 11, 2026\n\n\n\n\n\nThe civil war in Yemen erupted in 2014 and expanded a year later when a Saudi-led coalition joined forces with the government ousted by the Houthis. The fighting between Saudi-led forces and the Houthis largely abated after a tenuous ceasefire took hold in 2022. The Saudis held off on getting involved in the recent Red Sea conflict, which saw the U.S. and coalition warships duking it out with the Houthis and eventually led to a U.S.-led air campaign over Yemen. The United Kingdom was another significant player in that air campaign.\n\n\n\nMeanwhile, exacerbating concerns about the flow of oil from the Red Sea, \u201ca senior adviser to Iran\u2019s supreme leader warned Thursday that Iranian forces and their Houthi allies in Yemen could respond to any new U.S. attacks by opening \u2018a new front\u2019 in its war with the U.S. by targeting energy supplies in the Red Sea,\u201d CBS News reported.\n\n\n\nThe statements came after U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again threatened Iran.\n\n\n\n\u201cWill a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before?\u201d Trump asked rhetorically. \u201cOr do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?\u201d\n\n\n\nTrump added that he believed he would make a peace deal with Iran after the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, which will decide the control of Congress.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAs we noted yesterday, with gasoline and diesel price increases damaging the economy, the war and Trump\u2019s handling of it have been unpopular with voters.\n\n\n\nThe fact that France is sending forces to Saudi Arabia is an ominous development and another indication that the current spate of unrest that began with Epic Fury does not appear to show any signs of ending anytime soon.\n\n\n\nContact the author: howard@twz.com" ], "output": "readability", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790330648.650457", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:57.786326+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "screenshot": [], "singlefile": [], "title": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--max-time", "120", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:57.778692+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "France Sending Forces To Help Defend Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Oil Facilities", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790330648.650457", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:57.732578+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "wget": [ { "cmd": [ "wget", "--no-verbose", "--adjust-extension", "--convert-links", "--force-directories", "--span-hosts", "--no-parent", "-e", "robots=off", "--reject=js,mjs,woff,woff2,ttf,otf,eot,mp4,m4v,mov,webm,ogv,mkv,avi,flv", "--timeout=120", "--restrict-file-names=windows", "--page-requisites", "--user-agent=Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) wget/GNU Wget 1.21.3", "--compression=auto", "--timestamping", "https://www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities" ], "cmd_version": "GNU Wget 1.21.3", "end_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:57.723025+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities.html", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790330648.650457", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-25T16:19:21.065482+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ] }, "icons": null, "is_archived": true, "is_static": false, "latest": { "archive_org": null, "dom": null, "favicon": "favicon.ico", "git": null, "media": null, "pdf": null, "screenshot": null, "singlefile": null, "title": "France Sending Forces To Help Defend Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Oil Facilities", "warc": null, "wget": "www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities.html" }, "link_dir": "/data/archive/1790330648.650457", "newest_archive_date": "2026-09-25T16:19:59.834523+00:00", "num_failures": 0, "num_outputs": 6, "oldest_archive_date": "2026-09-25T16:19:20.092260+00:00", "path": "/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities", "schema": "Link", "scheme": "https", "snapshot_id": "38aa18d8-24d3-4f9f-8aa4-e522a99e2545", "sources": [ "/data/sources/1790330648-import.txt" ], "tags": ",escalation,war-wiki,pool", "tags_str": "escalation,war-wiki,pool", "timestamp": "1790330648.650457", "title": "France Sending Forces To Help Defend Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Oil Facilities", "updated": "2026-09-25T16:19:20.092118+00:00", "updated_date": "2026-09-25 16:19", "url": "https://www.twz.com/news-features/france-sending-forces-to-help-defend-saudi-arabias-red-sea-oil-facilities" }