Key facts
- Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces are counterattacking the Iran-aligned Houthis to retake territory around the Bab el-Mandeb shipping route.
- The Houthis control territory where an estimated 60% to 65% of Yemenis live.
- The Presidential Leadership Council, led by Rashad al-Alimi, is the internationally recognized Yemeni authority.
- The National Resistance Forces, led by Tarek Saleh, are a well-equipped anti-Houthi force.
- The Southern Transitional Council (STC), trained by the UAE, seeks secession for southern Yemen.
- The Islah Party, a Sunni Islamist movement, is a key faction within the recognized government but viewed as a terrorist organization by the UAE and STC.
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have launched a counteroffensive to reclaim coastal areas and strategic territory around the vital Bab el-Mandeb shipping route, which was recently seized by the Iran-aligned Houthis. This escalation marks a complex phase in Yemen's 12-year civil war, characterized by shifting alliances and ongoing regional tensions.
The conflict initially erupted when the Houthi movement, formally known as Ansar Allah, ousted the internationally recognized government in late 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in March 2015. While a UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely reduced heavy fighting, it failed to secure a lasting peace, and recent developments, including a spillover from the Iran conflict, have triggered renewed hostilities.
The A'amaliqa, or The Giants, a military formation primarily composed of ultra-conservative Sunni Salafi students from the south, has been at the forefront of the current offensive. This group, which emerged in 2016, has fragmented into various factions, complicating stabilization efforts. The largest faction is led by hardliner Abu Zara Al-Muharrami, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, who is directing military operations along the Red Sea coast. Other factions have aligned with or defected from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis remain the dominant military force, controlling the capital Sanaa and most of the north, territories inhabited by an estimated 60% to 65% of Yemen's population. While the Houthis deny being an Iranian proxy, the Saudi-led coalition and the US accuse Iran of providing arms, training, and funding. The group has showcased its missile and drone capabilities in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE, targeting critical infrastructure. They are widely seen as part of Iran's "Axis of Resistance" and have recently targeted Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The internationally recognized Yemeni authority is the eight-member Presidential Leadership Council, based in Aden and led by Rashad al-Alimi. Formed in April 2022 to unify anti-Houthi forces, the council has been hampered by internal divisions. The government relies heavily on Saudi air support.
Other significant factions include the National Resistance Forces, a well-equipped group led by Tarek Saleh, a nephew of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, which aims to unify Yemen and counter both the Houthis and southern secessionists. The Southern Transitional Council (STC), trained and equipped by the UAE, advocates for the secession of southern Yemen and declared self-rule in the south in 2020, leading to tensions with the central government and Saudi influence.
The Islah Party, a Sunni Islamist movement with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, is a key component of the recognized government but is considered a terrorist organization by the UAE and STC. Its stronghold is Marib, Yemen's sole gas-producing region.
The UAE, a former key partner in the Saudi-led coalition, withdrew its ground forces by 2020 but maintained influence through local allies. Its motivations included countering the Muslim Brotherhood and securing shipping lanes. The UAE completed its troop withdrawal in January following a dispute with Saudi Arabia.