France Deploys Troops to Defend Saudi Oil Plant Amid Houthi Attacks

France has agreed to send troops to defend an oil plant in Saudi Arabia as attacks by the Houthi militia continue. The decision was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron, who stated that he would send soldiers and military support to help protect the Saudi port of Yanbu.

The Houthi militia claimed responsibility for two attacks on Thursday, targeting Aramco facilities in Yanbu and a 'sensitive target' in Riyadh. The kingdom reported intercepting missiles fired towards the Red Sea port of Yanbu and the city of Taif.

Saudi Arabia is seeking assistance from its allies under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed in August. Saudi, Turkish, and Pakistani military chiefs are set to discuss ways to support Saudi Arabia on Friday, while Turkey's defence ministry announced that Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would travel to Saudi Arabia to meet his counterparts.