Proxy war

A proxy war is a fight between two different groups (countries, organizations, groups of people, etc.) where each group is backed or supported by a different country, instead of the countries actually fighting each other directly. The countries that are supporting those groups are like "proxy" leaders, and the war between the two groups is the "proxy" war. For example, a proxy war could involve an organization in one country fighting against another organization in a different country, but both groups might actually be supported by two different countries.