Circuit Wire — a daily news update from the Circuit.
France is sending soldiers, radar systems and air defenses to guard Saudi Arabia's Red Sea oil hub at Yanbu, Al Jazeera reported on Friday, September 25. The move follows a Thursday barrage in which Saudi forces said they intercepted six Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at Yanbu and the city of Taif.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the deployment in interviews with TF1 and France 2. He said the aim was to protect the site, not to draw France into the conflict. France joins the United Kingdom, Italy, Greece and other European states that have signaled support for Riyadh as the attacks continue.
The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses stopped all six missiles on Thursday, according to Fox News, citing Reuters. Saudi authorities issued emergency warnings across several areas, including Jeddah and Mecca, before announcing that the danger had passed. The Houthis later claimed strikes on facilities run by state oil company Aramco in Yanbu and on a "sensitive target" in Riyadh. Saudi authorities have not confirmed any damage.
Yanbu has become one of the kingdom's most important export points. It hosts major storage and refining facilities and sits at the end of the East-West Pipeline, which can carry up to seven million barrels a day. Riyadh has relied on that route to move crude while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains restricted by the US war with Iran. Houthi strikes have disrupted the pipeline, and Al Jazeera reported that Saudi Arabia has shifted some exports back toward Hormuz.
On the diplomatic side, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye met on Thursday. They agreed to arrange an urgent meeting of their military chiefs under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. The pact has not been formally triggered, and it remains unclear what action Pakistan or Turkiye might take.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the kingdom was defending itself and coordinating with partners, including Washington. The US has not renewed direct military involvement against the Houthis.
Oil markets reacted quickly. Brent crude briefly topped $108 a barrel on Thursday before easing to $105.77 on Friday morning.
The strikes extend a month of escalation. We reported last weekend on a Houthi missile intercepted over Riyadh, and earlier this month on the group's seizure of the Red Sea port of Mocha near the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
Want a weekly roundup of the major stories shaping the security industry? The On The Circuit newsletter is read by more than 12,000 protection professionals.
Spotted something we should cover? Send tips and feedback via circuit-magazine.com.