according to the un and other sources, from march 2015 to december 2017, between 8,670–13,600 people were killed in yemen, including more than 5,200 civilians. they estimated more than 50,000 have died as a result of an ongoing famine due to the war. with iran suporting the huthi and saudi arabia opposing them, the conflict has been widely seen as a proxy war and a means for saudi arabia to combat iranian influence in the region.