Yemen war escalates: Who are the key actors involved?

Here is a look at the main actors currently involved in the conflict.

A fighter fires a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), as Yemeni government forces and National Resistance Forces fire at Houthi fighters on the al-Kadha front, west of the city of Taiz in Yemen's western Taiz province [AFP]

Yemen’s more than a decade-long civil war has flared up once again after the Houthi rebel group launched an offensive in several locations against Saudi Arabian-backed government forces. The conflict has already spilled over beyond the country’s borders with the Houthis launching an attack on southern Saudi Arabia, targeting oil facilities and wounding dozens of people this week.

The renewed hostilities are the most serious since a United Nations-brokered truce halted large-scale fighting in 2022, after eight years of a full-blown conflict that killed tens of thousands of people in one of the world’s poorest countries.

list 1 of 3 Yemeni forces launch counteroffensive against Houthis, vow to retake Sanaa

list 2 of 3 Saudi Arabia says 73 wounded as Houthis attack civilian and energy sites

list 3 of 3 Saudi-Houthi fighting in Yemen escalates: What happened, and what’s next?

So who is involved in this conflict? Here’s a look at the main actors:

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah (supporters of God), are an armed group controlling most parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and some of the western and northern areas close to Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis emerged in the 1990s but rose to international prominence in 2014, when the group rebelled against Yemen’s government, forcing it to step down and causing a crippling humanitarian crisis.

The group then spent years, with Iran’s backing, fighting a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia. The two warring sides have also repeatedly tried to hold peace talks.

Seen as part of a regional alliance known as the “axis of resistance” backed by Iran, the Shia Zaidi group nevertheless has its own base, its own interests – and its own ambitions.

The Houthis have demonstrated their missile and drone capabilities during the Yemen war in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, targeting oil installations and vital infrastructure. They have also proven resilient, defying more than 10 years of bombing by the Saudi-led coalition, as well as US and British strikes in recent years.

The group has gained international prominence for its attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza in October 2023.

Riyadh entered the Yemen war when it led a military coalition against the Houthis in March 2015, seeking to restore the government of then-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Back then, Saudi Arabia and Iran were at the peak of a regional competition, both deeply distrusting each other. An Iran-supported group expanding control at the kingdom’s southern border was unacceptable, hence the military action.

This was before a China-brokered rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023 marked the beginning of a more practical and less confrontational relationship.

Presidential Leadership Council

The PLC was established in 2022 when the former president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, formally transferred his powers to the new eight-member body.

It represents the internationally recognised government of Yemen, with a mandate to manage the country’s political, security and military affairs, and to steer negotiations towards a permanent ceasefire. It is chaired by Rashad al-Alimi, an adviser to Hadi and former interior minister with the government of the late president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Its membership is drawn from a mix of northern and southern politicians and military-linked leaders in a bid to unite major anti-Houthi forces under one roof.

The PLC is backed by Saudi Arabia and the alliance that Riyadh leads.

The Yemeni Congregation for Reform, better known as Islah, is a Sunni Islamist movement with historic ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. It is a faction within the recognised PLC-led government but has long had an independent identity. Its major stronghold has long been Marib, the country’s sole gas-producing region with one of its largest oilfields.

National Resistance Forces

The National Resistance Forces is a government-aligned military faction led by Tareq Saleh, nephew of the late former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The force has maintained ties to Saudi Arabia and, like the Islah party, is part of the PLC. It aims for a unified Yemen, positioning itself as a counterweight to both the Houthis and southern secessionists.

以下是目前卷入冲突的主要参与者概览。

在也门西部塔伊兹省塔伊兹市以西的卡达前线，也门政府军和全国抵抗力量向胡塞武装开火，一名战士发射了一枚火箭推进榴弹（RPG）。[法新社]

也门持续十余年的内战再次爆发，胡塞武装在多地对沙特阿拉伯支持的政府军发动攻势。冲突已蔓延至也门境外，胡塞武装本周袭击了沙特阿拉伯南部，目标是石油设施，造成数十人受伤。

自联合国斡旋达成停火协议以来，此次重新爆发的敌对行动是自 2022 年停止大规模战斗以来最严重的。此前，该国经历了长达八年的全面冲突，造成世界上最贫穷的国家之一的数万人死亡。

也门军队对胡塞武装发起反攻，誓言夺回萨那（共3条，第1条）

沙特阿拉伯称胡塞武装袭击平民和能源设施，造成73人受伤（列表2/3）

也门沙特与胡塞武装冲突升级：发生了什么，接下来会发生什么？（共3个问题，此为第3个）

那么，这场冲突都牵涉到哪些人呢？以下是主要参与者的概览：

胡塞武装，又称安萨尔真主（真主的支持者），是一个控制也门大部分地区的武装团体，包括首都萨那以及靠近沙特阿拉伯的西部和北部部分地区。

胡塞武装在 20 世纪 90 年代出现，但在 2014 年才引起国际社会的关注。当时，该组织反抗也门政府，迫使其下台，并引发了一场严重的人道主义危机。

随后，该组织在伊朗的支持下，与沙特阿拉伯领导的军事联盟进行了长达数年的战争。交战双方也曾多次尝试举行和平谈判。

尽管什叶派宰德派被视为伊朗支持的“抵抗轴心”地区联盟的一部分，但它仍然拥有自己的基础、自己的利益和自己的抱负。

在也门战争期间，胡塞武装曾多次袭击沙特阿拉伯和阿拉伯联合酋长国，目标包括石油设施和重要基础设施，以此展示了其导弹和无人机作战能力。他们也展现出了极强的韧性，无视了沙特领导的联军长达十余年的轰炸，以及近年来美国和英国的空袭。

自 2023 年 10 月以色列在加沙开始种族灭绝以来，该组织因袭击以色列和红海航运而获得了国际关注。

2015年3月，利雅得领导军事联盟对抗胡塞武装，试图恢复时任总统阿卜杜拉布·曼苏尔·哈迪的政权，由此卷入也门战争。当时，沙特阿拉伯和伊朗正处于地区竞争的白热化阶段，双方互不信任。伊朗支持的胡塞武装不断扩大其在沙特南部边境的控制范围，这是沙特无法接受的，因此才发动了军事行动。

此前，在中国的斡旋下，沙特阿拉伯和伊朗于 2023 年实现了关系和解，这标志着两国关系开始变得更加务实，对抗性也更低。

总统领导委员会

PLC成立于2022年，当时前总统阿卜杜拉布·曼苏尔·哈迪正式将权力移交给新的八人机构。

它代表国际社会承认的也门政府，其职责是管理也门的政治、安全和军事事务，并引导谈判朝着永久停火的方向发展。该委员会主席是拉沙德·阿利米，他是哈迪的顾问，也是已故总统阿里·阿卜杜拉·萨利赫政府的前内政部长。

该组织的成员由南北方政界人士和与军方有关联的领导人组成，旨在将主要的反胡塞武装力量团结在一个屋檐下。

PLC得到了沙特阿拉伯和利雅得领导的联盟的支持。

也门改革运动（也门伊斯兰改革党，简称伊斯兰改革党）是一个逊尼派伊斯兰主义运动，与穆斯林兄弟会有着历史渊源。它是公认的由人民解放阵线领导的政府内部的一个派别，但长期以来一直保持着独立性。其主要据点长期以来是马里卜，该地区是也门唯一的天然气产区，也拥有该国最大的油田之一。

全国抵抗力量

全国抵抗力量是与政府结盟的军事派别，由已故前总统阿里·阿卜杜拉·萨利赫的侄子塔里克·萨利赫领导。

该武装力量与沙特阿拉伯保持着联系，并且与伊斯兰改革党一样，是巴勒斯坦立法委员会的成员。它的目标是实现也门统一，并将自身定位为制衡胡塞武装和南方分裂势力的力量。