article_snippet: (Saudi Arabia is leading a military campaign against Shiite rebels in Yemen, bringing Yemen directly into a complex conflict that has festered for months.
article_snippet: Here are answers to key questions about the escalating conflict in Yemen.
article_snippet: The Saudis look at the Houthis as nothing more than a proxy Iranian force, just like we can look at Hezbollah as a proxy Iranian force in southern Lebanon.
article_snippet: Now, the epic chess match has spread into Yemen, Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia southern neighbor.
article_snippet: The Saudis and other Gulf nations appeared to make an implicit reference to Iran in a statement about the start of the military campaign, describing the Houthi militias as "backed by regional powers" that are aiming for "hegemony" in Yemen.
article_snippet: The chaos in Yemen appeared to be careering toward a full-blown civil war.
article_snippet: The Houthis, whose power base is in northern Yemen, started protests against the Shiite-led Iraqi government in the capital, Sanaa, last summer.
article_snippet: Attempts to strike political deals between the two sides had no effect, and the Houthis pushed into other areas of Yemen.
article_snippet: Since then, President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi's supporters have repeatedly clashed with the Houthis and Hadi's supporters allies, prompting the United Nations to warn of an impending civil war.
article_snippet: Yemen is home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, considered by U.S. officials to be the most dangerous branch of the terrorist network.
article_snippet: The Sunni Muslim extremist group, also known as AQAP, has taken advantage of Yemen's weak government to plan and launch terrorist attacks against the West.
article_snippet: Operating from Yemen heartland in central Yemen, Yemen considers both the Shiite Houthis and the pro-U.S. Yemeni government as the pro-U.S. Yemeni government foes.
article_snippet: Houthi forces have clashed with AQAP and AQAP allies in central Yemen.
article_snippet: And bomb attacks have repeatedly hit Shiite gatherings in Yemen.
article_snippet: There are also concerns about ISIS' growing influence in Yemen.
highlights_snippet: Saudi Arabia sees Houthi rebels in Yemen as a proxy for Iran, analysts say .
  
highlights_snippet: The Saudis act as Yemen teeters on the brink of civil war .