Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced that their prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the capital city of Sanaa on Thursday.
The attack also resulted in the deaths of several other ministers who were attending a government workshop to evaluate the Houthi government’s performance over the past year.
According to reports, the Israeli military confirmed the operation, stating that they had “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen”.
This incident is part of a series of Israeli attacks on Houthi positions, which have killed at least 10 people and wounded 102 others in recent strikes.The Houthis have vowed that these attacks will not deter their military operations in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza.
In fact, the group has repeatedly launched missiles and drones toward Israel and disrupted shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis frame these actions as solidarity with Gaza.The death of al-Rahawi could further strain efforts toward de-escalation in Yemen, where the civil war has persisted since 2014, displacing millions and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Despite the Trump administration’s brokered deal to halt airstrikes in exchange for ceasing attacks on shipping, the agreement did not cover operations against Israeli-aligned targets.
The Houthi presidency has stated that their government and institutions will continue to carry out their duties despite the attack, saying, “The blood of the great martyrs will be fuel and a motivator to continue on the same path”.
