Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy war

The Syrian Civil War was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, as part of the wider Arab Spring. The Assad regime responded to the protests with lethal force, which led to a series of defections, the emergence of armed opposition groups, and the civilian uprising descending into a civil war. The war lasted almost 14 years and culminated in the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Many sources regard this as the end of the civil war even though clashes have continued into 2026.

political upheaval in Egypt, leading to ouster of President Hosni Mubarak

regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of many Arab states of the Persian Gulf

nuclear research sites and processing facilities of Iran

ongoing civil war in the state of Yemen

diplomatic crisis between several Arab League countries and Qatar

political-militant organization

Yemeni upheaval occurring simultaneously with the Arab Spring (2011)

conflict among rival groups seeking to control of the territory of Libya

Protests in Bahrain that started on February 14, 2011

unofficial military coalition between Iran and aligned movements

indirect conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Saudi war against Houthis in Yemen launched in 2015

Iran and Israel have been engaged in a proxy conflict since 1985. In the Israeli–Lebanese conflict, Iran has supported Lebanese Shia militias, most notably Hezbollah. In the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Iran has backed Palestinian groups such as Hamas. Israel has supported Iranian rebels, conducted airstrikes against Iranian allies in Syria, assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists, and directly attacked Iranian forces in Syria. In 2024 the proxy war escalated to a series of direct confrontations between the two countries, and in June 2025, they fought a 12-day war, involving the United States.

2004–2014 Houthi rebellion, escalating into the Yemen Civil War

2019 drone attack

civil war in Afghanistan between 1992–1996

anti-government uprisings in Ba'athist Iraq

Arab Spring protests in Saudi Arabia

ongoing crisis occurring in the country of Yemen

military conflict in Lebanon from 2014–2017 during the Syrian Civil War

2014–2015 revolution after the capture of the capital, Sanaa

United Nations Security Council resolution

terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers, US military housing, in Khobar, Saudi Arabia

joint intelligence-sharing cooperation between opponents of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

political alliance in West Asia

July 1987 clash between Shia pilgrims and Saudi Arabian security forces during the Islamic Hajj season

diplomatic issue between Qatar and Saudi Arabia

Arab nationalist uprising in southwest Iran after the revolution

sabotage of four commercial ships in the Gulf of Oman

Arab nationalist movement in Khuzestan advocating for Arab separatism from Iran

political dispute

2019 diplomatic conference

2009 Yemeni military offensive in the northern Saada Governorate

Period of civil unrest

Iran-related controversy

intervention against Islamic state by Iran

hezbollah military intervention in the Syrian civil war

Wikimedia list article

2024–2025 clashes

failed assassination attempt

ongoing civil unrest in the Qatif region of Saudi Arabia

conflict in Eastern Saudi Arabia between Shias and Sunnis

clashes between Kurdish insurgents and the Revolutionary Guards

2010 military operation

Wikimedia template

2016 execution of a Shia cleric and others in Saudi Arabia