The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed several rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territory in recent months.

Lebanon cannot expect to receive international aid for its battered economy until a new government undertakes serious reforms, diplomats decided at a closed-door meeting in Paris on Wednesday.

The procurement order was given to French ship-building company Socarenam. The vessels are part of the Overseas Patroller Programme announced by Defence Minister Florence Parly this November, aimed at strengthening the protection of France’s maritime regions and replacing the old generation of patrol ships.