# France Plans Saudi Deployment to Protect Yanbu Oil Facility

By John Kim

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/23902
Published: 2026-09-24T21:30:35.000Z
Updated: 2026-09-24T21:30:35.000Z

France plans to send soldiers, radars and defense systems to protect Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu oil-export site, a move that adds military support around a key route for global energy shipments.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the deployment Thursday during a televised interview. No troop numbers, units or deployment date were provided.

Yanbu receives oil through Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, which connects the kingdom’s eastern production region with the Red Sea. The route allows exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, a major global energy chokepoint.

Saudi Arabia shut the pipeline as a precaution after attacks on Sept. 10 and began restarting it on Sept. 22. Returning the system to full capacity could take six to eight weeks.

The French deployment comes as Saudi energy infrastructure faces continuing security risks. The announcement confirms a planned defensive mission, but does not establish that French personnel have arrived in Saudi Arabia or change the pipeline’s stated restart timeline.