Quietly, President Emmanuel Macron has aligned his foreign policy with that of the Anglo-Saxon powers. This was the price to pay for securing joint command of NATO following the US withdrawal from Europe. As a pledge of commitment, he unilaterally decided to send our troops to participate in a religious war against the Yemeni people.

France is experiencing a rare moment of hypocrisy and deceit. On one hand, the national press encourages the public to applaud Pope Leo XIV during his pastoral visit; on the other, it does its utmost to conceal the involvement of French armed forces in horrific conflicts - conflicts in which we should not be involved and which betray our national ideals.

-       On July 13, 2026, France and the United Kingdom hosted the 16th meeting of the Coalition of Volunteers for the Defense of Ukraine in Paris. The aim was to reorganize the defense of the European Union and, secondarily, that of Ukraine. It could thus be understood that the participants were coordinating to adapt NATO to the US withdrawal from Europe, and that their engagement in Ukraine served primarily as training to enable their forces to operate jointly. [1].

No one seemed shocked by the description of the war in Ukraine as a live-fire military exercise - despite its hundreds of thousands of deaths. Likewise, no one questioned the reorganization of NATO under the leadership of the United Kingdom and France, as if command by this duo were a given.

-       On August 24 and 25, 2026, President Emmanuel Macron hosted Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman - Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister - at the Élysée Palace for the third Esports World Cup. The press focused solely on the announcement regarding the creation of three theme parks. Yet, the real significance lay elsewhere.

The two states deepened their strategic partnership. In a joint statement, they “reaffirmed their support for Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and for United Nations efforts to reach an inclusive, comprehensive solution to the crisis. They condemned attacks carried out by the Houthis against the Kingdom’s civilian infrastructure and vital facilities, as well as their attacks on shipping. They affirmed their determination to uphold freedom of navigation. They also emphasized that Houthi provocations were exacerbating the suffering of the Yemeni people. The French side affirmed its solidarity with and full support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and underscored its rejection of any attacks on the Kingdom’s territory” [2].

A brief aside: those whom Saudi Arabia and France call the “Houthis” refer to themselves as Ansar Allah. The term “Houthis” is pejorative; it refers to their founder, Hussein Badreddine al-Houthi, and his brother - their current leader - Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Yet, Ansar Allah never refers to its clan affiliation; on the contrary, it points to Zaydi thought. Referring to a protagonist by a derogatory nickname is unlikely to foster mutual understanding and peace.

-       On September 18, 2026, President Emmanuel Macron hosted the leaders of the political parties represented in parliament at the Élysée Palace. He had requested the presence of the heads of the DGSI (General Directorate for Internal Security), the DGSE (General Directorate for External Security), the DRM (Directorate of Military Intelligence), the DGEC (Directorate General for Energy and Climate), and the SGDSN (General Secretariat for Defence and National Security).

According to the subsequent statement, he first denounced “the intensification of Russian hybrid threats” and reaffirmed “France’s support for Ukraine and its policy of sanctions against Russia.” He then stated that he was doing his utmost to “facilitate the peaceful reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and secure energy supplies” [3].

In the ensuing press briefing, President Macron reiterated - not his analyses, but rather his absurd interpretations of events. He once again characterized the Russian special operation in the Donbas as a “war of aggression,” even though it implements the instructions of UN Security Council Resolution 2202 [4]. No one pointed out that, if this constituted a “war of aggression,” then France would have committed one by intervening to halt the genocide in Rwanda.

He reiterated that Russia had stepped up “hybrid attacks” against European Union members. Yet, public opinion fails to distinguish between acts of sabotage against EU arms factories - which are part of the ongoing war - and attacks by alleged Russian drones on Ukrainian aircraft at EU airports. While Moscow refrains from commenting on its covert actions against EU arms factories, it consistently denounces the drone attacks attributed to it as false-flag operations by Ukrainian intelligence services. This is a significant point, given that Russia is entitled to destroy weaponry supplied by the EU to the Kyiv regime - which is now illegitimate as it is unelected - but is not entitled to attack EU airports.

Turning to the Middle East, President Macron recalled that the war against Iran had been triggered by Israel and the United States and that France had not participated in it. This was merely a clever presentation of the facts, for France had maneuverer skilfully at the United Nations to falsely accuse Iran of failing to comply with the 5+1 agreement and of building an atomic bomb [5] - going so far as to bribe international UN officials [6]. Furthermore, its military had trained Kurdish snipers in Iraq to sow chaos during protests against the collapse of Iran’s Ayandeh Bank [7]. Thus, while it did not directly participate in the war, it worked to bring it about.

-       On September 22, President Emmanuel Macron posted a message on his X account: “Upon my arrival in New York, I met with President Donald Trump. We decided to act together to ease tensions in energy markets by protecting critical infrastructure in the Middle East and ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. We will also join forces to secure a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure and Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Civilian populations must be protected, and we must urgently initiate serious negotiations on the terms of peace between Russia and Ukraine.” [8].

Contrary to what President Emmanuel Macron implies, the initiative for these bombardments lies not with Russia, but with the Ukraine he supports. Kyiv bombs Russian stockpiles and refineries using drones, while Moscow retaliates by striking Ukrainian gas stations with precision missiles. Ultimately, Kyiv is the loser because it fails to target its strikes with greater precision and because Russia possesses a much larger territory. The primary victims are neither Russian nor Ukrainian but foreign, as these strikes destroy oil stocks and drive up global prices.

In any event, it would be foolish for both sides to continue a war while denying themselves the means to win it.

-       On September 24, President Emmanuel Macron hosted two journalists of his own choosing at the Élysée Palace. He gave them a lengthy interview intended to lull the public into complacency [9]. It is worth noting that Caroline Roux (France 2) is the wife of Laurent Solly - formerly Nicolas Sarkozy’s chief of staff, then number two at TF1, and currently the head of Facebook France - while Gilles Bouleau (TF1) is the anchor of TF1’s 8 p.m. news broadcast. Ms. Roux constantly diverted viewers’ attention, while Mr. Bouleau did not dare ask any uncomfortable questions.

The President reiterated his strong condemnation of Russian aggression, parroting the speech given by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the United Nations [10]. Above all, he informed his constituents that he was sending troops to secure the port of Yanbu - the terminal for the Saudi East-West Pipeline, known as “Petroline.” He claimed this would enable the export of Saudi crude oil while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

-       Yet, a critical development had occurred just hours earlier. Dr. Saleh bin Fawzan bin Abdullah Al-Fawzan - the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and, as such, an employee of Prince Mohammed bin Salman - had addressed the Kingdom’s soldiers. Citing the Quran extensively, he urged them to sacrifice themselves to eliminate “the Houthis - an evil gang, a plot by the enemy [i.e., the Iranians] rooted in the corruption of faith and methods” [11].

This is a momentous development: the Wahhabi sect (Saudi Arabia) has declared that the Zaydis (Ansar Allah) are not true Muslims. It had previously accused the “Houthis” of bombing a mosque and subsequently the holy sites in Mecca - allegations that the leader of the revolution, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, had emphatically denied in a televised address on September 17 [12].

Admittedly, Saudi Arabia ceased its support for jihadists on May 21, 2017, at the initiative of President Trump [13]. Subsequently, Saudi Arabia and Iran put an end to their religious conflict - brokered by China - through the Beijing agreement on March 10, 2023 [14].

Today, Donald Trump no longer champions peace - as he did during his first term by invoking President Andrew Jackson. On the contrary, since the Epstein affair, he has allowed the traditional policy of the US “Deep State” - advocated by his Under Secretary of War, Elbridge Colby - to proceed unchecked. Thus, he took the initiative to launch a war against Iran and is letting the conflict in Ukraine fester.

This is where President Macron has led us: our soldiers are set to die on the Arabian Peninsula and participate in a new religious war. Zaydis are not Twelver Shias like the Iranians; shaped by their history, they possess their own synthesis of the Muslim faith and Hindu rites. Consequently, Riyadh does not feel it is violating the religious peace it maintains with Iran. However, the Grand Mufti has explicitly linked the Zaydis to Twelver Shias, while the Crown Prince has linked the “Houthis” to Iran.

Contrary to what the national and Western press tries to convince us, the war in Yemen bears no relation to the conflict we are witnessing against Iran. It is a continuation of the 1990 reunification of Yemen. The conflict escalated with the arrival of Blackwater and subsequently DynCorp [15] - a private army led by Steve Feinberg, the current Deputy Secretary of War [16]. It became a full-scale war in June 2015, following an Israeli-Saudi agreement that granted Riyadh the right to exploit Yemeni oil reserves in the “Empty Quarter” [17].

Even back then, while the joint headquarters was based in Somaliland, French special forces were secretly participating in the war, as revealed by Disclose [18]. From March 2020 onwards, the British occupied the island of Socotra, but the coalition fractured and the Emiratis withdrew.

In contrast, the war against Iran did not begin until 2026. And while Iran did instrumentalize Ansar Allah during the 2000s, that has no longer been the case since General Qassem Soleimani trained the group to defend itself independently and granted it its freedom in the late 2010s.

The France of Michel de Montaigne and Aristide Briand has just embarked on a religious war. Contrary to all of President Macron’s assertions, this will not foster peace but rather fuel the conflict. It will not secure the Petroline oil pipeline; on the contrary, it will trigger a rise in global oil prices.

In the process, France - once independent - is demonstrating its alignment with the Anglo-Saxon powers.

Notes

[1] «Sommet de la Coalition des Volontaires à Paris», Palais de l’Élysée, 13 juillet 2026.

[2] «Déclaration commune de la France et de l’Arabie saoudite à l’occasion de la visite de Son Altesse Royale le Prince Mohammed ben Salmane ben Abdelaziz Al Saoud, Prince héritier et Premier ministre du Royaume d’Arabie saoudite, en République française», Palais de l’Élysée, 25 août 2026.

[3] «Situation internationale : réunion avec les chefs des partis», Palais de l’Élysée, 18 septembre 2026.

[4] “Security Council Resolution 2202”, designated S/RES/2202 (2015), adopted on 17 February 2015.

[5] “What are Germany, France, and the United Kingdom up to at the UN and the IAEA?”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Roger Lagassé, Voltaire Network, 12 November 2025. Étudesgéopolitiques

[6] “General Secretariat reinstates sanctions against Iran”, UN (General Secretariat) , Voltaire Network, 27 September 2025.

[7] “[Revelations on the preparation of war against Iran^>article224266.html]”, Translation Gregor Fröhlich, Voltaire Network, 17 April 2026.

[8] «@EmmanuelMacron», Emmanuel Macron, X, 22 septembre 2026.

[9] «Interview du Président de la République sur TF1 et France 2», Palais de l’Élysée, 24 septembre 2026.

[10] «PM speech at UNGA», 10 Downing Street, 23 September 2026.

[11] «??? / ???? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ????????? ?????? ???????» , Saudi Press Agency, September 24, 2026.

[12] «Speech by Leader of the Revolution Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi on Latest Developments», Masirah TV, September 18, 2026.

[13] “Donald Trump’s Speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit”, by Donald Trump, Voltaire Network, 21 May 2017.

[14] “The Middle East frees itself from the West”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Roger Lagassé, Voltaire Network, 14 March 2023.

[15] “DynCorp mercenaries replace Academi mercenaries in Yemen”, Translation Pete Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 18 March 2016.

[16] « La théologie du Pentagone : le secrétaire sioniste évangélique P. Hegseth et le sous-secrétaire spéculatif khazare S. Feinberg », par Alfredo Jalife-Rahme, Traduction Maria Poumier, La Jornada (Mexique), Réseau Voltaire, 10 septembre 2026.

[17] “The secret projects of Israël and Saudi Arabia”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Pete Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 27 June 2015.

[18] «Made in France», Disclose, 15 avril 2019.

Courtesy Thierry Meyssan; Translation Roger Lagassé

https://www.voltairenet.org/article224987.html