DOMINANT ANGLE
Moscow sees the deployment of French troops to Yanbu as a direct consequence of the American-Iranian war and its impact on oil traffic via the Strait of Hormuz, rather than a simple Saudi defense measure.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Macron stated on TF1 and France 2: "We are going to send military assets, namely soldiers, radar systems, and defense systems, to protect the Yanbu site."
- 02
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claims that his movement carried out two operations, against a facility in Riyadh and Aramco sites in Yanbu, using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.
- 03
A Greek Patriot battery already deployed in Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile and a drone near Yanbu on Thursday, and Saree claims that Riyadh has carried out 1,018 strikes against Yemen since the start of the escalation.
ANALYSIS
Moscow, September 25, 2026. Moscow sees the deployment of French soldiers to Yanbu as a consequence of the escalation caused by the American-Iranian war, which has made the Strait of Ormuz impassable for tankers and turned this Saudi port on the Red Sea into a vital emergency route for crude oil exports. According to RT, Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday on TF1 and France 2: "We will send military means, that is to say soldiers, radar systems and defense systems, to protect the Yanbu site." The French President specified that his forces would not join the fighting, limiting themselves to protecting an energy facility "very seriously damaged" during previous attacks.
RT emphasizes that France is the last country Riyadh is turning to for military assistance, after Washington renounced direct intervention demanded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A Greek Patriot battery already deployed in the kingdom intercepted a ballistic missile and a drone near Yanbu on Thursday, according to information reported by RT.
TASS, for its part, gives considerable coverage to the Houthi version. The military spokesman for Ansar Allah, Yahya Saree, claims that his forces carried out two operations, one against an "important" facility in Riyadh, the other against Aramco sites in Yanbu, using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. Saree also claims that Saudi Arabia has carried out 1,018 strikes against Yemen since the beginning of the escalation, with civilian casualties, including women and children, according to the movement.
TASS recalls that the conflict has opposed since August 2014 the forces supported by Riyadh and the Houthis, and that tensions have worsened since early September after an Ansar Allah offensive in the southwest of the country, with rebels seeking to cut off roads to Mokha and advance towards the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. On September 12, a Houthi political official had already announced to TASS that the movement controlled areas in western Yemen giving access to the strait.
For the Russian press, the French announcement confirms above all that the Yemeni conflict is becoming internationalized without Washington assuming a direct role, leaving France, Greece, and the Gulf monarchies to fill the military vacuum around a now disputed energy hub.
