Yemen’s Houthi rebel movement has confirmed that its self-styled Prime Minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike earlier this week. The airstrike hit a senior Houthi conference in the capital of Sanaa. Houthi Prime Minister Killed…
The group said several top officials were also killed in the attack, which was launched by Israeli warplanes on Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Rahawi and other Houthi senior commanders were “eliminated” following actionable intelligence received just hours prior to the raid.
Although the Houthis did not publicly identify the other fatalities, Saudi-gulf outlet al-Hadath documented that a number of ministers — including those in charge of foreign affairs, justice, youth and sports, social affairs, and labor — were among the fatalities. The office of Houthi president Mahdi al-Mashat subsequently released word that other ministers had suffered moderate to serious injuries.
Following the strike, Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ahmed Miftah was designated to replace Rahawi. Rahawi has been the Houthis’ prime minister since August 2024 but was seen as more symbolic than a prominent decision-maker in the group’s military or political plans.
The key leaders of the movement — its senior leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, defense minister, and chief of staff — were not said to have been present during the attack.
The IDF said that the operation remains under evaluation to assess its full extent.
Ever since the escalation of the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza, the Houthis have carried out numerous missile strikes in the direction of Israel and attacked foreign shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The group asserts that the strikes are in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance. In retaliation, Israel has repeatedly bombed Houthi territory in Yemen to reduce their capacity for operations. Houthi Prime Minister Killed in israel strike