France to send military to protect Saudi Arabia on Red Sea oil route, Macron says
French President Emmanuel Macron said France will send soldiers, radar systems and defence systems to Saudi Arabia to protect the Red Sea port city of Yanbu. He said a US ban on diesel exports would be catastrophic globally and for the US economy. Macron denied a report that the CIA had warned European governments about potential drone attacks from the Mediterranean.
Why it matters: The deployment shows how energy security now depends on military protection of critical export infrastructure.