By Eniola Amadu
The prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi government, Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi, and several ministers died in an Israeli airstrike on the capital, Sanaa, the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council confirmed on Saturday.
The strike marked the first Israeli operation to eliminate senior figures of the Iran-aligned group since the Gaza war began.
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Council leader Mahdi al-Mashat said a number of others were wounded in Thursday’s attack but gave no further details.
Israel had earlier stated that the strike targeted the Houthis’ chief of staff, defence minister, and other top officials, although it was still verifying the outcome.
Mashat’s statement did not clarify whether Defence Minister Mohamed al-Atifi — who commands the Houthis’ Missiles Brigade and is regarded as their leading missile expert — was among the dead.
Rahwi, appointed prime minister about a year ago, was widely considered a figurehead, with day-to-day authority resting in the hands of his deputy, Mohamed Moftah.
Following Rahwi’s death, Moftah was instructed to assume his duties.
Sources told Reuters that Yemen’s energy, foreign, and information ministers were also killed in the strike.
Israeli security sources said the operation struck multiple locations where senior Houthi officials had gathered to watch a televised address by group leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
The military described it as a “complex operation” enabled by intelligence-gathering and air superiority.
Since Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas broke out in October 2023, the Houthis have frequently launched missile and drone attacks towards Israel and targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, claiming to act in solidarity with the Palestinians.
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Israel has responded with repeated strikes on Houthi-controlled territory, including the key Hodeidah port.
In a televised address on Saturday, Mashat insisted the Houthis’ stance would remain unchanged “no matter how great the challenges” and vowed the group would take revenge for the killings.
