[1] Founded by Tareq Saleh after the Battle of Sana'a (2017) with support from the United Arab Emirates (UAE),[1] the National Resistance consists[3] of the private army of Tareq Saleh, generally known as "Guardians of the Republic", formed from former members of the Republican Guard and the Central Security Organization.

[1][4][5] Highly experienced veterans,[1] they are widely regarded to be among the best equipped and trained troops in the anti-Houthi coalition,[3] and have significantly boosted the military strength of the Hadi government.

[3] As result, they have been criticized and even attacked by anti-Saleh forces in Yemen, such as the Southern Movement and the citizens of Taiz.

[3] The later are Popular Resistance forces[4] from Aden and Lahij Governorate that enjoy strong UAE support and were fiercely loyal to late Ali Abdullah Saleh.

[3] However, the alliance began to fracture, because of accusations that Tareq Saleh was taking advantage of the Southern Giant brigades, calling him "treacherous".