France Sends Troops to Guard Saudi Oil Terminal — SkimNews
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- France confirmed Friday it will deploy "soldiers, radars, and defence systems" to guard the Yanbu oil terminal on the Red Sea, with President Macron framing the mission as protecting a site, not entering a conflict.
- Houthis claimed Thursday they struck Aramco facilities in Yanbu and a "sensitive target" in Riyadh; Saudi forces said they intercepted six ballistic missiles, though authorities have not confirmed any damage.
- Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkiye held foreign-minister talks Thursday to arrange an "urgent meeting" of military chiefs of staff under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all, though the pact has not been officially triggered.
- Pakistan and Turkiye are deeply entangled as mediators across Middle East conflicts, casting doubt on whether either will follow through with military action under the pact.
- Houthis earlier this month seized the Yemeni port of Mocha and several Red Sea islands, gaining significant control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait, which normally carries about 12 percent of global oil trade.
- Saudi Arabia has been forced to reroute some oil exports back through the Strait of Hormuz after Houthi strikes disrupted the East-West Pipeline, which can carry up to seven million barrels a day.
- Brent crude rose more than 3 percent Thursday, briefly topping $108 a barrel before easing to $105.77 on Friday morning, with analysts expecting prices to stay above $100 as long as the Iran war continues.
Why it matters: The Houthis now control enough of the Bab al-Mandeb and Yemen's Red Sea coast to choke a corridor carrying 12 percent of global oil trade, and Saudi Arabia has lost its Hormuz bypass — forcing crude exports back through the strait that's already restricted by the US-Iran war. France's troop deployment and the Saudi-Pakistan-Turkiye pact talks mark a concrete escalation in allied defense commitments, but Pakistan and Turkiye's mediator roles mean the mutual-defense pact may remain symbolic while oil markets price in sustained supply risk.
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