France becomes more involved alongside Riyadh. An AFP diplomatic source indicated Monday evening that Paris was ready to contribute to the “security” of Saudi energy infrastructure targeted by the Houthis : “France is ready to contribute to securing the Saudi energy infrastructure of Yanbu and the East-West Corridor, as part of a strictly defensive approach. » However, it is not a question “in no way take part in the conflict with the Houthis”nuance the same source.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, recently carried out attacks on facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, a port city on the Red Sea. According to Saudi Arabia, the East-West pipeline, an essential crude export route, is also at a standstill after drone attacks from Iraq.
As a reminder, Iran supports several organizations opposed to Israel and the United States, including Palestinian Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah and, therefore, the Houthis.
The G7 fears “a dangerous escalation trajectory”
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, G7 foreign ministers urged Yemeni rebels to “immediately cease all their military actions, threats and attacks” against maritime transport. “Their wrongdoing constitutes a dangerous escalatory trajectory that risks further exacerbating the conflict, undermining international trade and creating economic instability globally”they warn, while insisting on “the absolute necessity of ensuring permanent maritime safety and security, as well as the rights and freedoms of navigation throughout the world”.
