Saudi air defences intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi movement on Thursday, preventing strikes against the western cities of Taif and Yanbu. The attempted bombardment marks a renewed threat to the kingdom’s Red Sea crude export capacity, as Paris offered military units to protect key commercial infrastructure along the maritime corridor.
French hardware pledged
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Paris plans to deploy troops alongside radar equipment and defensive batteries directly to Yanbu, emphasising that French forces will guard the port rather than enter regional hostilities. Yanbu operates as the kingdom’s primary export terminal on the Red Sea, taking inland crude delivered across the Arabian peninsula through the East-West pipeline, known as Petroline.
Houthi forces continue to enforce an embargo across the Bab al-Mandab strait by striking tankers and occupying strategic terrain near arterial shipping routes. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said escalations and violations by the militia would meet a firm response.
Ground warfare escalates
Clashes intensified across Yemen alongside the missile barrage. Fighting killed at least 150 combatants over 24 hours, according to military reports. Casualties included at least 98 government soldiers and aligned fighters, while clashes left at least 52 Houthi insurgents dead.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian dismissed claims of direct operational oversight from Tehran, maintaining that Yemeni fighters operate independently of Iranian guidance. Six missiles were shot down.
Related: Saudi Arabia resumes East-West crude pipeline flows · Saudi Arabia halts East-West pipeline after drone strikes
