Emmanuel Macron visits Riyadh in a surprise "solidarity" stop during his Gulf tour.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday in a surprise stop as part of his Gulf tour, which included Kuwait, Bahrain, the Emirates and Qatar. The Elysee Palace said in a statement that the purpose of the visit is to "demonstrate France's solidarity with the Kingdom in the face of the attacks launched by the Houthis on its territory, and to continue the efforts made to secure and diversify the supply of fuel" to his country. Macron became the first Western head of state to visit Saudi Arabia since the Iranian-backed Houthi attacks escalated in early October.