烟雾在机场上空弥漫，爆炸声在沙特阿拉伯首都此周回荡，因为这个波斯湾国家正面临伊朗支持的胡塞武装多年来发动的最大规模袭击之一。
Smoke billowed above the airport and explosions sounded in Saudi Arabia’s capital this week, as the Persian Gulf nation faced some of the biggest attacks it had seen in years by Iranian-backed Houthi militants.
尽管美国推动达成协议以结束其与伊朗之间的战争仍然停滞不前，胡塞武装与沙特阿拉伯之间的冲突升级正进一步动摇能源市场，并威胁将更多国家卷入其中，而该地区已经陷入多场交叉战争之中。
While the U.S. push for a deal to end its war with Iran remains stalled, the escalating conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia is further rattling energy markets and threatening to draw in still more countries, in a region already beset by overlapping wars.
在美国11月中期选举之前，暴力的扩大对特朗普政府构成挑战，华盛顿研究所高级研究员April Longley Alley表示：“该政府‘已经在施加足够压力以影响油价’。”
Ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November, the expansion of the violence represents a challenge to the Trump administration, which “already has enough putting pressure on oil prices,” said April Longley Alley, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, a think tank.
她说：“特朗普政府希望尽可能限制冲突范围，并将其控制住。”但“如今，这个‘盖子’已经开始掀开。”胡塞武装得到伊朗的训练和支持，也门政府则得到沙特阿拉伯的支持，双方多年来一直陷入激烈的内战，导致数十也门人死亡。沙特阿拉伯专注于改善其国际形象，同意了2022年的停火协议，使胡塞武装控制也门北部的大部分地区，而沙特支持的政府控制南部地区。
“The Trump administration wanted to limit the conflict as much as possible, and to keep the lid on it,” she said. “But the lid is popping off already.”The Houthis, who receive training and support from Iran, and Yemen’s government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, were embroiled for years in an active civil war that left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead. Saudi Arabia, focused on improving its international perception, agreed to a 2022 truce that left the Houthis in control of much of Yemen’s north and the Saudi-backed government in control of the south.
但近年来，胡塞武装对沙特阿拉伯据称对其实施的领土封锁感到日益沮丧。
But the Houthis have grown frustrated in recent years by what they say is a Saudi blockade on their territory.
上个月，胡塞武装发起了一场惊人的地面进攻，试图夺取也门西部红海海岸的控制权——该地区位于巴布·曼德布海峡，是全球航运的重要水道，包括作为霍尔木兹海峡的替代通道。
Last month, the Houthis launched a stunning ground offensive to take control of Yemen’s western Red Sea coast along the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital waterway for global shipping, including as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
胡塞武装的进攻促使沙特政策发生转变，前沙特情报局局长图尔基·阿尔-费萨尔王子在上周接受阿拉伯新闻采访时如此表示。
The Houthi offensive prompted a change in Saudi policy, Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former Saudi intelligence chief, said in an interview with Arab News last week.
克制一直是沙特政策和行动的标志，从阿卜杜勒-阿齐兹国王时代开始，历来如此，”他说。“但这种克制已不再适用。”几天之后，得到沙特阿拉伯支持的也门武装力量发动了反攻，并在周日宣布了一项行动，旨在驱逐胡塞武装出也门，该行动始于一系列空袭的倾泻。胡塞武装则以袭击沙特阿拉伯的机场和能源基础设施作为回报，包括炼油厂。
“Restraint has always been a hallmark of Saudi policy and action, historically, from the days of King Abdulaziz,” he said. “That restraint is no longer operable.”Days later, the Saudi Arabian-backed Yemeni forces went on the counteroffensive, announcing on Sunday an operation to oust the Houthis from Yemen, which began with barrages of airstrikes. The Houthis have in return struck airports and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, including refineries.
随着伊朗在霍尔木兹海峡加大对航运的攻击，导致输出的石油减少，胡塞武装对沙特基础设施的袭击以及持续试图封锁沙特港口的努力——其中一些港口曾被用作霍尔木兹海峡的替代通道——变得日益重要，阿利说。
As Iran steps up attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, reducing the amount of oil getting out, Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and continued efforts to blockade Saudi ports — some of which had been used as alternatives to Hormuz — are increasingly important, Alley said.
“胡塞武装能够并且正在深入沙特境内发动袭击，打击关键的能源基础设施，”布雷特·埃里克森说，他是一名风险咨询顾问，密切关注石油和天然气市场。“而胡塞武装拥有的基础设施价值较低……因此他们将继续在市场上制造混乱。”胡塞武装声称他们对拉比格、利雅得和亚丁的炼油厂发动了袭击，埃里克森说，这些炼油厂在生产柴油、汽油和喷气燃料方面至关重要，而这些燃料的价格仍然居高不下。
“The Houthis can and are striking deeply into Saudi and hitting critical energy infrastructure,” said Brett Erickson, a risk advisory consultant who closely monitors oil and gas markets. “And the Houthis have less valuable infrastructure … so they are going to continue to wreak havoc on the market.”The Houthis have claimed strikes, he said, on refineries in Rabigh, Riyadh and Yanbu — vital in producing diesel, gasoline and jet fuel, which are still seeing severely elevated prices.
胡塞武装发言人纳斯鲁丁·阿梅尔告诉《华盛顿邮报》，沙特阿拉伯“自找麻烦”，因为它拒绝回应胡塞武装的要求——其中包括解除胡塞武装所称的由沙特领导的对也门的封锁。
Houthi spokesman Nasruddin Amer told The Washington Post that Saudi Arabia had “brought this escalation upon itself” by refusing to respond to Houthi demands — including lifting what the Houthis describe as the Saudi-led blockade on Yemen.
分析人士和美国官员表示，沙特阿拉伯正在美国的情报支持方面获得帮助。但特朗普政府仅止步于此，未提供沙特及其在也门国际承认的政府的盟友们所寻求的那种程度的支持。
Saudi Arabia is receiving help in terms of intelligence from the United States, analysts and U.S. officials say. But the Trump administration has stopped short of providing the level of support that officials in Saudi and its allies in Yemen’s internationally recognized government have sought.
沙特阿拉伯正依赖其他伙伴 — — 包括巴基斯坦和土耳其，它在八月与这两国签署了防御协议 — — 寻求帮助。但土耳其外长哈坎·菲丹表示，该联盟“具有防御性质”，他的国家不会在也门进行军事行动。
Saudi Arabia is relying on other partners — including Pakistan and Turkey, with which it formed a defense pact in August — for help. But Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that the alliance is “defensive in nature” and that his country will not conduct military operations in Yemen.
巴基斯坦总理谢赫巴兹·谢里夫在周五的一份声明中表示，巴基斯坦将“肩并肩”捍卫沙特阿拉伯。巴基斯坦表示其军事支持是防御性的，但未具体说明援助的全部范围。
Pakistan will stand “shoulder to shoulder” in defending Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement Friday. Pakistan has said that its military support is defensive, but it has not specified the full extent of its assistance.
熟悉沙特政府思维的沙特作家兼评论家阿里·希哈比表示，沙特阿拉伯感激美国提供的帮助 — — 尤其是针对胡塞武装袭击的实时定位信息 — — 但希望美国能做更多。
Ali Shihabi, a Saudi author and commentator familiar with Saudi government thinking, said that Saudi Arabia is appreciative of the help the U.S. is providing — especially live targeting information for strikes on the Houthis — but wishes there was more the U.S. would do.
“一个武装的非国家行为体控制着一条主要的国际水道，”他说，指的是巴布·曼德布海峡。“美国过去不可能允许这种情况发生。”但希哈比也表示，沙特阿拉伯并不在等待美国的帮助，而是希望与麦加联盟的成员更紧密地合作。“我们明白每个国家都必须自力更生，”他说。
“An armed, non-state actor controls a major international waterway,” he said, referring to Bab al-Mandab. “It is inconceivable that the U.S. would have allowed this to happen in the past.”But Shihabi also said that Saudi Arabia is not waiting for help from the U.S. and is looking to work more closely with members of the Mecca alliance. “We understand that each country has to carry its own water,” he said.
沙特支持的联盟本周在收复也门西海岸新近被胡塞武装夺取的领土方面取得了初步进展。但最近几天，力量对比似乎又发生了变化 — — 胡塞武装威胁要夺取也门的战略要地泰兹，并反复袭击利雅得机场，导致三人死亡，据沙特官员称。
The Saudi-backed coalition made initial progress this week in retaking newly Houthi-captured territory along Yemen’s western coast. But in recent days, the balance of power appears to have shifted again — with the Houthis threatening to take the strategic town of Taiz in Yemen and repeatedly striking the airport in Riyadh, leading to three deaths, according to Saudi officials.
对于沙特阿拉伯而言，看着胡塞武装在九月的势头，很明显，时刻已经到了“生死存亡”的关键点，新美国(New America)的研究员亚当·巴伦(Adam Baron)表示，该智库总部位于华盛顿。“他们觉得必须接受胡塞武装对也门的接管，或者继续推进进攻。于是他们选择了前进。”
For Saudi Arabia, watching the Houthi momentum in September, it became clear that the moment became “do or die,” said Adam Baron, a fellow at New America, a Washington-based think tank. “They felt like they had to accept a Houthi takeover of Yemen or go forward with an offensive. So they went forward.”
他现在表示，双方都“处于升级阶梯”上。虽然特朗普政府的注意力集中在伊朗，但沙特阿拉伯与胡塞武装之间的冲突正在失控升级——“这对沙特阿拉伯构成生存威胁，而且影响还可能超出其境内”，曾在拜登总统任期内担任美国也门问题特使的蒂姆·伦德金(Tim Lenderking)如是说。
Now, he said, both sides are “on the escalation ladder.”While the Trump administration is focused on Iran, the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is spiraling — “and poses an existential threat to Saudi Arabia and also beyond,” said Tim Lenderking, who was a U.S. envoy to Yemen under President Joe Biden.
“胡塞武装难以预测，装备精良，武装力量强大，”他说。“他们具有救世主式的信念，认为这是一项神圣使命，旨在确立他们在也门乃至更广地区的权威，包括沙特阿拉伯。”最近的袭击很可能会影响该王国的旅游业——这是其多元化战略的关键组成部分。
“The Houthis are unpredictable and very well equipped and heavily armed,” he said. “They are messianic in that they believe this is a divine mission to assert their authority in Yemen and beyond, including in Saudi Arabia.”The recent attacks are likely to affect the kingdom’s tourism sector, a key part of its diversification strategy.
“沙特阿拉伯已经大幅开放，近年来前往那里的人数大幅增加。如果袭击持续下去，这将成为一个大问题，”布里斯托尔大学(University of Bristol)教授、海湾问题专家托比·马蒂森(Toby Matthiesen)表示。
“Saudi Arabia has opened up so much, and so many more people went there in the last few years that if the attacks persist it will be a big problem,” said Toby Matthiesen, a professor and Gulf expert at the University of Bristol.
该计划的一部分旨在将王国打造成超越伊斯兰圣地朝圣的全球旅游目的地。但到目前为止，中东战争已经导致沙特阿拉伯备受瞩目的红海国际电影节和一级方程式赛车赛事被推迟。
Part of that plan aims to turn the kingdom into a global travel destination beyond pilgrimages to Islam’s holiest sites. But so far, Middle East wars have led to the postponement of Saudi Arabia’s star-studded Red Sea International Film Festival and Formula 1 race.
一名居住在利雅得的美国人因严格的沙特法律禁止分享敏感信息，要求匿名发言。他表示，过去五个晚上，他每晚都曾因爆炸声或拦截声而醒来。
One American living in Riyadh, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of strict Saudi rules about sharing sensitive information, said that he had woken up at some point for each of the past five nights because of the sounds of explosions or interceptions.
袭击的相关信息未向公众宣布，且沙特法律禁止拍摄袭击影响地点的照片。
Information about the strikes is not announced to the public, and Saudi laws prohibit taking photos of impact sites.
他说道：“然后你去上班，假装什么都没发生。” “这几乎更糟，因为没有人知道到底发生了什么。
“Then you go to work and pretend like nothing happened,” he said. “It’s almost worse because no one has any idea what is going on.