Macron in Saudi as French political crisis looms

President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for a state visit just as a political crisis threatens to topple the French government.

Macron touched down in Riyadh, capital of the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, where he was due to hold talks with de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman later on Monday.

The French leader was greeted by an honour guard of sword-holding servicemen and celebratory cannon fire as he disembarked from his plane.

He made no comment about the political situation in France as he arrived.

Macron's visit begins as France's less than three-month-old minority government faces the prospect of being forced out by a vote of no confidence in the coming days.

The far-right National Rally party said it would vote to oust Michel Barnier's government after the prime minister used an executive tool to push through a social security budget bill without parliamentary approval.

The left wing is also expected to back the motion, which could be held as early as Wednesday. If successful, it would oust the government that was appointed in September after snap polls.

Macron's three-day stay also coincides with a flare-up of violence in Syria, where anti-government rebels have seized Aleppo, the country's second largest city.

The fighting in Syria comes after France helped to broker a fragile ceasefire in neighbouring Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting Iran proxy Hezbollah.

- Lebanese army -

Macron is making the first state visit by a French president to Saudi Arabia since Jacques Chirac in 2006, cementing what the presidency calls a "very close relationship".

It follows his 2021 trip when he became one of the first Western leaders to meet Prince Mohammed in Saudi Arabia after the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul.

Macron and Prince Mohammed will agree to "raise bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership", the French presidency said.

The two sides will see how they "work together" on the conflicts shaking the region, with Lebanon at the "heart of the discussions", the presidency said.

Macron is hoping for Saudi support for the Lebanese army, which is being deployed towards the border with Israel under the ceasefire but is poorly armed and trained.

He will also try to win Saudi help to reverse the political disintegration that has plunged Lebanon's government and economy into catastrophe.

Paris and Riyadh are also calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and a "political outcome" based on the two-state solution of separate Israeli and Palestinian states.

Saudi Arabia, which is home to the holiest sites in Islam, has paused discussions with Washington on potentially recognising Israel in return for deeper security and bilateral ties with the United States.

In September, the crown prince hardened his position, insisting that Saudi Arabia would not establish ties with Israel before the creation of a Palestinian state.

Macron is accompanied by about 50 senior officials from major French companies including TotalEnergies, EDF and Veolia, as well as start-ups in artificial intelligence and quantum physics.

France and Saudi Arabia aim to "significantly strengthen" their economic ties which do not reach "the height of our shared ambition", the French presidency said.

Discussions are also under way for Saudi Arabia to acquire French-made Rafale fighter jets, although no announcement is expected during the visit, according to a source close to the matter.