The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed Saturday that an Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the insurgent-controlled government in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
Ghalib al Rahawi was killed in an attack on Thursday in Sanaa along with several ministers, the rebels said in a statement.
The Israeli military said Thursday it had “precisely struck a military target of the Houthi terrorist regime in the Sanaa area of Yemen.”
Al-Rahawi, who had served as prime minister of the Houthi-led government since August 2024, was attacked along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a routine workshop organized by the government to assess its activities and performance over the past year, according to the rebel statement.
Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched missiles at Israel since the start of the Gaza war. The extremist group claims the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians.
In response to those attacks, Israel and a U.S.-led coalition bombed rebel-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeida. The Israeli strikes put the Yemeni capital's airport out of service in May.
The Trump administration, for its part, announced last May an agreement with the Houthis to end the bombing in exchange for an end to attacks on ships. However, the rebels claimed that the agreement did not include an end to attacks on targets they considered aligned with Israel.
Earlier this week, Israeli airstrikes hit several areas of Sanaa, killing at least 10 people and wounding 102, according to the Houthi-controlled Health Ministry and government officials.
In a statement published by the movement's news agency, Saba, the Houthis confirmed the death of Al Rahwi,"along with several of his fellow ministers" who have not yet been identified.
“Other comrades suffered moderate and serious injuries and are currently receiving medical attention,” the movement added in a statement.
The de facto Yemeni president installed by the Houthis, Mahdi al-Mashat, has already issued a presidential decree appointing Mohamed Ahmed Mifta, until now deputy prime minister, as Al-Rahwi's replacement.
"Amid the open battle against the Israeli enemy, we mourn the loss of a new group of great martyrs among our national leaders," the Yemeni Presidency said."The Israeli enemy attacked the prime minister and several of his fellow ministers during a regular meeting organized by the government to assess their activities and work during their first year of work."
Several ministers suffered "moderate and serious" injuries as a result of the Israeli attack."They are receiving medical attention," he said.
"The institutions will continue to serve the Yemeni people, who are struggling, patient, and persevering, and will remain unaffected, regardless of the magnitude of the loss. The blood of the great martyrs will be the fuel and motivation to continue along the same path," he emphasized.
Israeli security sources estimate that Thursday's attack killed the prime minister and the rest of the Houthi cabinet, including all twelve subordinate ministers, according to a report by Israeli Channel 12 television on Friday, but there is no confirmed information on this matter yet.
However, this Saturday, Houthi Defense Minister General Mohamed Nasser al-Atifi issued an official statement, also reported by Saba, stressing that Houthi forces are “ready at all levels to confront the US-backed Zionist enemy.” “We are with the leader and master, may Allah protect him. He commands us, and we are the missiles of his army,” he stated.
The Houthis, who have controlled the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, and other areas in the north and west of the country since 2015, have launched several attacks against Israeli territory and against ships with some form of Israeli connection in the wake of the offensive against Gaza following the attacks carried out on October 7 by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinian factions.
They have also attacked US and British ships and other strategic assets in response to these countries' bombing of Yemen, an intervention that Washington and London argue is based on their desire to guarantee the safety of navigation in the region. However, in May, the Houthis joined a ceasefire announced by the United States.
