The Houthi rebel group has launched an offensive against Saudi Arabian-backed government forces in Yemen, sparking renewed hostilities that are the most serious since a UN-brokered truce in 2022. The Houthis have demonstrated their military capabilities, targeting oil facilities and wounding dozens of people in southern Saudi Arabia. The conflict involves three main actors: the Houthi rebels, Saudi Arabian-backed government forces, and the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), which was established in 2022. This is a report on the key players involved in the Yemen war, providing background information on the Houthis' emergence and rise to power.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-09,
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Story summary
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Houthi rebels from Yemen, backed by Iran, launched attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities and civilian infrastructure on Tuesday, injuring at least 73 people, including women and children. The attacks targeted oil installations in the southern cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran, causing fires to break out at several sites. Saudi authorities condemned the attacks as a "dangerous escalation" and vowed to take all necessary measures to defend their sovereignty. The attacks are part of an ongoing conflict between Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen and the Houthi rebels. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that if there was a spillover of the conflict into Riyadh, the tripartite Makkah Defence Alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey could become operational. India also condemned the attacks on Saudi sovereign territory, calling them unacceptable and threatening regional security. The US has been ramping up economic sanctions against Iran amid the escalating tensions in the region. The conflict has raised concerns about global oil supplies and the stability of the Middle East.
Written for “Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia” on 2026-09-09,
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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.
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group → flare → 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.
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Houthis → spill → people
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.
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that → renew → countries
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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:
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fighting → launch → Yemen
What happened, and what’s next?
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what → happen → ?
So who is involved in this conflict?
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who → involve → conflict
Here’s a look at the main actors:
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look → ’ → 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.
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Houthis → know → 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.
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group → emerge → crisis
The group then spent years, with Iran’s backing, fighting a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
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group → spend → Arabia
The two warring sides have also repeatedly tried to hold peace talks.
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sides → war → 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.
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group → see → base
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.
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Houthis → demonstrate → installations
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.
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They → prove → 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.
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group → gain → October
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.
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it → enter → Hadi
Back then, Saudi Arabia and Iran were at the peak of a regional competition, both deeply distrusting each other.
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both → distrust → other
An Iran-supported group expanding control at the kingdom’s southern border was unacceptable, hence the military action.
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group → support → border
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.
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rapprochement → broker → 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.
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president → establish → 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.
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It → represent → 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.
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It → chair → president
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.
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membership → draw → roof
The PLC is backed by Saudi Arabia and the alliance that Riyadh leads.
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Riyadh → back → that
The Yemeni Congregation for Reform, better known as Islah, is a Sunni Islamist movement with historic ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
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Congregation → know → Brotherhood
It is a faction within the recognised PLC-led government but has long had an independent identity.
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It → recognise → identity
Its major stronghold has long been Marib, the country’s sole gas-producing region with one of its largest oilfields.
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stronghold → produce → oilfields
The National Resistance Forces is a government-aligned military faction led by Tareq Saleh, nephew of the late former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
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Forces → align → President
The force has maintained ties to Saudi Arabia and, like the Islah party, is part of the PLC.
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force → maintain → PLC
It aims for a unified Yemen, positioning itself as a counterweight to both the Houthis and southern secessionists.
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It → aim → Houthis
