Joe Kent breaks down Houthis’ rapid advance

The Houthis’ rapid advance is just the beginning of the blowback effects we are now going to face as a result of our counterproductive policies in the Middle East & because of this senseless war in Iran.

The Houthi’s ability to capture key terrain and strategic ports along the… https://t.co/icr4JiUCBZ

— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) September 10, 2026

The Houthis’ rapid advance is just the beginning of the blowback effects we are now going to face as a result of our counterproductive policies in the Middle East & because of this senseless war in Iran.

The Houthi’s ability to capture key terrain and strategic ports along the Red Sea coast speaks to not just their military capabilities but also to their ability to gain support from tribes far from the traditional Houthi strongholds in northern Yemen.

This is very significant—these tribes are predominantly Sunni, while the Houthis are Zaydi Shias.

Yemen is a tribal region—deals among rivals are frequently cut before or during battles, and even then those alliances can be murky.

Now, however, the Houthis are fighting alongside the IRGC as a member of the axis of resistance against the Saudis, the U.S., and Israel. This has given them far more popular support than a standard tribal deal or a military victory ever could—not because Yemenis support or particularly care about the Iranians, but because especially during times of conflict, we go tribal. It’s human nature.

The Yemenis have witnessed what the U.S.-backed Saudis have done to their people and what the U.S. backed Israelis have done to the people of Gaza, & see how the Iranians are fighting back after the U.S. & Israel attacked them. Now, they’re uniting against their common enemy to fight back.

The U.S.’s war in Iran & simultaneous backing of the Saudis’ war in Yemen, along with our government’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, have given the Iranian Islamic revolution a massive boost that has reached far beyond Iran.

As our war against Iran drags on we will see more of this, especially in Iraq, Lebanon & potentially Bahrain.

Our own policies and interventions abroad are encouraging radicalization, which will in turn inspire blowback terrorism here in the U.S. This is a destructive self-licking ice cream cone and it’s going to get more people killed.

President Trump and his advisors know better, and know that ending our foreign entanglements now is in the best interest of the American people. The question is whether they have the moral courage to do it.