France escorts oil tankers through the Red Sea with warships

France has deployed warships to escort oil tankers through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, confirmed Xavier Rival, spokesman for the General Staff of the French army, as Al Jazeera reports in its live blog today.

According to Rival, at least 10 ships have been escorted in the last week, as part of the European Union’s naval mission. The move comes amid heightened tensions over maritime traffic in the region, while threats to the main oil transport routes are growing.

French President Emmanuel Macron said last month that France is sending “soldiers, radars and defense systems” to Yanbu in Saudi Arabia to help protect cities against possible Iranian attacks. Paris is thus strengthening its military presence in the region, alongside its Western allies.