French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris planned to "send military assets, meaning soldiers, radars and defense systems to protect" Yanbu, Saudi Arabia’s main oil export terminal on the Red Sea.

"Not to engage in any conflicts but to protect this site," Macron said in an interview with the television channels TF1 and France 2, Euronews reports.

The infrastructure in and around Yanbu forms a key node in Saudi Arabia's vast network of energy installations. Yanbu serves as the kingdom's primary crude export terminal on the Red Sea and is connected to its oil-producing regions near the Persian Gulf coast by the East-West pipeline, also known as Petroline.

Yanbu is also home to major oil storage and refining facilities, while its location on the Red Sea provides Saudi Arabia with an alternative route for sending crude and petroleum products towards European markets.