French Political Opposition Slams Macron's Decision to Deploy Troops and Defense Systems to Saudi Arabia

President Emmanuel Macron's decision to send military support, including soldiers and defence systems, to Saudi Arabia to counter Houthi attacks has sparked strong opposition from political parties across France, as the nation prepares for presidential elections next year.

Framed as a defensive operation designed to preserve regional stability and contain energy prices, the deployment was announced last week following missile and drone strikes by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis targeting Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in the Red Sea city of Yanbu. The French announcement followed a similar move by the UK to provide air-to-air refuelling support for Saudi fighter jets, though little detail regarding implementation has been provided.

“We maintain a close dialogue with our Saudi partner in order to refine, together, the requirements and resources needed to protect critical facilities and infrastructure,” the office of France's Chief of the Defence Staff stated to The National. “We do not comment in detail on the nature, volume, or location of the capabilities and assets that would or could be deployed.”

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, a leading figure for the upcoming presidency, questioned President Emmanuel Macron's choice, noting that France lacks a mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia comparable to the one established with the UAE. France previously deployed Rafale jets and air-defence systems to assist the UAE following similar Iranian-backed missile and drone attacks.

“Saudi Arabia recently signed an agreement with Turkey and Pakistan. We're surprised that it's not Turkey and Pakistan that are defending Saudi interests,” Ms Le Pen remarked. “Maybe the President of the Republic has other reasons that he did not wish to express publicly.”

Echoing these concerns, Rassemblement National vice-president at the National Assembly, Sebastien Chenu, told BFM TV that sending military personnel to the region is neither the right idea nor the correct path. While Turkey and Pakistan sent their military chiefs to Riyadh for diplomatic talks, both nations have refrained from offering direct military assistance.

Meanwhile, the hard-left political party France Unbowed demanded that President Emmanuel Macron permit a parliamentary debate on the matter, while also calling for measures to block rising fuel prices driven by Houthi threats to Saudi oil exports.

“Sending French troops into a war zone could very quickly make us cobelligerents — and we are not the only ones saying so — so, at the very least, there should be a discussion in Parliament,” stated MP Clemence Guette on France Inter. She emphasized that the head of state cannot deploy troops into such a volatile Middle Eastern conflict without prior national parliamentary discussion.

Under the French constitution, the government is legally required to inform parliament of any armed forces deployment no later than three days after an intervention begins, which may be followed by a debate and a mandatory vote if overseas operations exceed four months.

Defending the decision, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot maintained that the military assistance remains strictly defensive. “Since the start of the war in Iran, we have deployed military assets to protect our allies and partners. Were we ever considered belligerents? Never,” Mr Barrot stated.