Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullah Al-Kumaim, a senior officer in the Yemeni army, has issued a strong warning to the governments and peoples of Qatar and Oman, urging them to recognize the true threat posed by the Iran-backed Houthi movement.

In a public statement, Al-Kumaim emphasized, “The Iranian-backed Houthis are not a political tool or bargaining chip — they are a sectarian cancer expanding at the expense of everyone.” He noted that the group had used tribal and political support within Yemen to seize power and turn state institutions into instruments of blackmail serving Tehran’s agenda.

He added, “Anyone who thinks using this virus to preoccupy Saudi Arabia and the UAE will create balance is opening the door to long-term regional instability.” Al-Kumaim warned that even if the Houthis don’t directly expand into the Gulf, they will become a persistent source of political, economic, and security pressure on Qatar and Oman.

He concluded: “Whoever raises a snake at their neighbor’s border will not escape its bite when the time comes.” His remarks follow recent controversial statements from Qatar and Oman describing the Houthis as the "relevant authorities in the Republic of Yemen," which many Yemenis perceived as a form of de facto recognition of the Iran-backed militia.