Israeli strike in Yemen kills Houthi prime minister, other officials
An Israeli strike on Yemen earlier this week killed the prime minister of the Houthi-controlled government and several other officials, according to the Iran-backed rebel group.
Ahmed al-Rahawi, the prime minister and most senior Houthi official, was killed in a Thursday Israeli attack in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, the group said in a statement on Saturday. The Houthis, designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S., added that colleagues of Rahawi were also killed or injured in the attack, although it is unclear how many.
The assault came as the Houthis’ leadership gathered for a “routine” workshop to analyze its performance over the past year, the presidency said in a statement that was broadcast on Houthi-run TV.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday that a “Houthi terrorist regime military target in Sanaa” was struck.
“The Iranian-backed Houthi regime has targeted Israel, undermining regional stability and freedom of navigation,” the IDF said on social platform X.
Despite killing al-Rahawi, the majority of the power lies with Abdul Malik al-Houthi, a politician and religious leader in Yemen.
The Houthis, one of several groups backed by Iran in the region, attacked Israel shortly after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on the nation, which sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, is also backed by Iran and the Yemeni group has vowed to support them.
The Houthis started firing missiles on behalf of Hamas shortly after the initial attack, targeting cargo ships going through the Red Sea to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end IDF’s military operation in the Gaza Strip. Most of the ships had no affiliation with Israel.
The attacks have disrupted international trade as some boats were forced to reroute, taking longer paths to their destination.
The U.S. military, along with other allied nations, launched strikes on the Houthi rebels in response, seeking to prevent further attacks on the ships. President Trump ramped up the military operation in March with “decisive and powerful” strikes. The campaign ended in May, with the president saying the rebels “just don’t want to fight.”
Al-Rahawi was appointed prime minister last year. Prior to the role, he served on the Supreme Political Council, which was formed in 2015.