Yemen war escalates: Who are the key actors involved?

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.

Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Yemeni forces launch counteroffensive against Houthis, vow to retake Sanaa - list 2 of 3Saudi Arabia says 73 wounded as Houthis attack civilian and energy sites - list 3 of 3Saudi-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 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.