DOMINANT ANGLE
Paris is first focusing on the economic stakes of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, placing the G7 statement and the strikes on Moka behind the issue of global maritime trade, without mentioning London's military support for Riyadh.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The G7 urged the Houthis on Monday, September 21, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to "immediately cease all military actions, threats, and attacks" against maritime transport.
- 02
The Houthi-affiliated Saba agency reported strikes by the Saudi coalition on the port of Moka that killed six civilians, including two children and a woman, and injured eight other people.
- 03
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, under Houthi control since their early September offensive, has become crucial for Saudi oil exports since Iran has been blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
ANALYSIS
Paris, September 22, 2026. The French press first notes, in this surge of Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, the scope of the commercial and energy stakes at play around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Le Monde and Sud Ouest recall that this passage connecting Europe to Asia via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, "already heavily used before the war in the Middle East", has become "even more important for Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude oil exporter", since Iran has been blocking the Strait of Hormuz on its side. BFMTV has even titled its dispatch as an "energy crisis", a sign that the prism retained by the editorial offices goes beyond a simple diplomatic report.
In this context, the G7 foreign ministers urged the Houthis on Monday, September 21, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to "immediately cease all military actions, threats, and attacks" against maritime transport. They denounce "reprehensible acts" that, according to their statement cited by BFMTV and Sud Ouest, constitute "a dangerous trajectory of escalation that risks exacerbating the conflict, disrupting international trade, and creating economic instability on a global scale". The G7 also demands that Iran stop delivering arms to the Yemeni rebels and reaffirms its support for the "legitimate government of Yemen".
On the ground, the Saba agency, close to the Houthis, reported on Tuesday of strikes by the Saudi coalition on the port of Moka, killing six people, including two children and a woman, and injuring eight, according to Le Monde. These strikes are part of a Houthi offensive launched at the beginning of September, which has allowed them to take control of the entire Yemeni coastline of the Red Sea, consolidating their grip on Bab el-Mandeb. On Saturday, September 19, for the first time since the resumption of hostilities in July, Riyadh itself was targeted by an attack claimed by the Houthis.
The French articles consulted do not mention the British support in terms of air refueling announced by London in favor of the Saudi aviation: the French press prioritizes the UN framework and the economic angle of the file, without detailing for now the Western military contributions to the conflict.
