France’s Macron first Western leader to visit Saudi Arabia since Houthi escalation

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday for a surprise stop on his Gulf tour, marking the first visit by a Western head of state to Saudi Arabia since Yemen’s Houthi rebel group intensified its attacks against the kingdom this month.

Macron was received by the deputy governor of the Riyadh region, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. He later met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

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The visit aims to “demonstrate France’s solidarity with the kingdom in the face of the attacks carried out by the Houthis against its territory, and to continue efforts undertaken on securing and diversifying hydrocarbon supplies,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement circulated by French media.

Why it matters: Saudi Arabia has come under repeated Houthi attacks in the past month, coinciding with a Saudi-backed counteroffensive launched by the Yemeni government and allied groups on Oct. 5 to retake strategic territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that the Houthis seized in September.

The Saudi-led coalition said on Wednesday it intercepted five drones launched by the Houthis toward the Eastern province and Islam’s holy city of Medina. The Iran-backed group swiftly denied the Saudi accusation that it targeted Medina and said it did not launch any attack toward Saudi territory on Wednesday.

The Houthi rebel group has repeatedly targeted the kingdom’s airports and energy infrastructure since September in response to the Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition said over the weekend that its air defenses intercepted a Houthi drone that was heading toward the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, a key oil hub on which Saudi Arabia has relied to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

On Monday the Houthis claimed a series of attacks against Saudi airports as well as energy and military targets, including an Aramco site in Yanbu.

Last month, Macron said he would send French troops to help protect the Saudi city of Yanbu.

“We are going to send military resources, that is to say, soldiers, radar systems and defense systems, to protect this site — not to get us involved in any conflicts, but to protect this site,” Macron said during an interview on French television Sept. 24.

Macron's Gulf tour began in Kuwait on Monday before he traveled to the United Arab Emirates. He also visited Qatar on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Macron said he discussed the ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region and stressed the importance of resuming talks with the Houthis to reach a peaceful resolution.

The British Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday it will deploy Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to help defend Saudi Arabia repel the Houthi attacks. Asked by a reporter whether his country will follow the UK, Macron said Paris will continue to support the kingdom’s security and defense. He noted that French personnel and assets have been deployed in Yanbu for the past eight days to help in rehabilitating and securing the site, adding, “Our involvement is purely defensive in nature.”

Know more: Relations between France and Saudi Arabia have evolved significantly in recent years, notably under Vision 2030, the project to diversify the Gulf kingdom’s economy away from oil.

Since a strategic partnership between the two countries was established in 2024, ties grew in various sectors, including investment, technology, energy and defense.

The two countries signed dozens of agreements spanning energy, tourism and infrastructure worth more than $10 billion during the Saudi crown prince's visit to Paris in August.

France, one of the world’s leading arms exporters, had been seeking to expand its influence in the region by promoting military cooperation and arms deals. In 2018, France’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia rose by 50%, with weapons exports to the kingdom reaching about 1 billion euros (about $1.16 billion), according to French government data.

In 2023, French aerospace company Dassault Aviation confirmed that negotiations were ongoing with Saudi Arabia for the sale of 54 Rafale fighter jets.