Joe Kent, former director of the Washington-based National Counterterrorism Center, wrote on X:
“The rapid Houthi advance is just the beginning of the blowback we will now face as a result of our failed Middle East policies and this senseless war in Iran.”
1️⃣ The Houthis Are Expanding Beyond Their Traditional Strongholds
The Houthis’ ability to seize key terrain and strategic ports along the Red Sea coast demonstrates not only their military capabilities, but also their ability to win support from tribes far beyond their traditional strongholds in northern Yemen.
This is particularly significant because many of these tribes are Sunni, while the Houthis are Zaydi Shi’a.
2️⃣ Tribal Politics Are Central to Yemen
Yemen remains deeply tribal. Deals between rival groups are often reached before or even during battles, and alliances can remain fluid and ambiguous.
According to Kent, the current conflict is different because the Houthis are now fighting alongside Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as part of the Axis of Resistance against Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Israel.
He argues that this has generated far greater popular support than an ordinary tribal alliance or military victory could produce.
The argument is not that Yemenis necessarily support Iran. Rather, Kent contends that war pushes societies toward a sense of collective identity and solidarity against a common enemy.
3️⃣ U.S. and Israeli Actions Have Strengthened the Houthi Position
Kent argues that Yemenis have witnessed:
Saudi Arabia’s U.S.-backed actions in Yemen
Israel’s U.S.-backed war in Gaza
Iran’s response after being attacked by the United States and Israel
His conclusion is that these developments have encouraged Yemenis to unite against a common adversary.
4️⃣ Iran’s Influence Is Spreading Beyond Iran
Kent argues that the U.S. war against Iran, combined with Washington’s support for the Saudi war in Yemen and its backing of Israel’s war in Gaza, has given Iran’s Islamic Revolution a major boost far beyond Iran itself.
He predicts that this effect will become increasingly visible, particularly in Iraq, Lebanon, and potentially Bahrain.
5️⃣ The Core Warning: Foreign Intervention Creates Blowback
Kent’s central argument is that U.S. interventionist policies can fuel radicalisation, which may subsequently inspire retaliatory terrorist attacks inside the United States.
He describes this as a destructive cycle of violence that ultimately turns back against the country pursuing the interventionist policy.
6️⃣ His Challenge to Trump
Kent concludes by arguing that President Trump and his advisers understand that ending U.S. foreign entanglements would serve American interests.
The real question, he says, is whether they have
“the moral courage”
to do so.
Bottom line:
Kent’s warning is not simply about the Houthis. His broader argument is that U.S. military intervention, support for regional allies, and unconditional backing of Israel can produce strategic blowback by strengthening the very regional forces Washington seeks to contain.