The self-declared prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi rebel movement Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this week, according to the rebel faction. The group, backed by Iran, reported that several other high-ranking officials were also killed when the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) struck the capital, Sanaa, on Thursday.
A Houthi meeting in the Sanaa area was targeted by Israeli fighter jets according to the IDF, which resulted in Rahawi and other senior figures to be “eliminated”.
The Houthis, who have controlled much of north-western Yemen since 2014 after toppling the internationally recognized government and sparking a civil war, confirmed Rahawi’s death but did not specify the identities of the other casualties.
Saudi Arabia’s al-Hadath news outlet stated that the foreign minister and ministers of justice, youth and sports, social affairs, and labor were also killed, reports the BBC.
The office of Houthi President Mahdi al-Mashat indicated that some ministers sustained injuries, with a few described as moderate or serious. The Houthi deputy prime minister, Muhammad Ahmed Miftah, would take over Rahawi’s responsibilities, read the statement.
Rahawi, who assumed the position in August 2024, was largely considered a figurehead within the movement, lacking a key role in the decision-making processes regarding military operations.
Notably, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the group’s supreme leader, along with the defence minister and the chief of staff, were not reported as casualties in the attack.
The IDF, in a statement released late Saturday, said the strike occurred “within a few hours” after receiving intelligence about the meeting, and the operation’s full impact is still being evaluated.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza propelled the Houthis to consistently launch missiles at Israel and targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, claiming they are in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel has responded with airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, aiming to disrupt the group’s military actions. Last week, Israel reported targeting Houthi positions in Sanaa in retaliation for a missile strike, which it said involved cluster munitions.
