Houthis confirm prime minister killed in Israeli airstrike

The prime minister of Yemen's Houthi government, Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi, and several other ministers were killed in an Israeli strike on the capital Sanaa, the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council said on Saturday, in the first such attack to kill senior officials.

A number of others were wounded in Thursday's strike, Mahdi al-Mashat added, without providing details.

The Israeli military confirmed on Friday that the strike on Houthi leaders that took place on Thursday was a result of a “narrow intelligence window.”

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) targeted top Houthi leaders outside the Yemeni capital Sanaa, including Chief of Staff Mohammed Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, Defense Minister Mohammed al-Atefi, Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Galib al-Rahwi and other top officials.

Mashat's statement did not make clear whether the Houthi defense minister was among the casualties.

Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi became prime minister around a year ago but the de facto leader of the government was his deputy, Mohamed Moftah, who was assigned on Saturday to carry out the prime minister's duties.

Rahwi was seen largely as a figurehead who was not part of the inner circle of the Houthi leadership.

The Israeli operation, codenamed "Drop of Luck," was launched after Israel obtained credible, real-time intelligence on the whereabouts of senior Houthi leaders. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir authorized the strike following consultations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The attack coincided with a televised speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, which the targeted officials had gathered to watch.

Israeli intelligence is cautiously optimistic but still assessing the outcome of the strikes. Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat confirmed on Saturday that the prime minister and several other unnamed senior officials were killed in the Israeli airstrike.

“We announce the martyrdom of the fighter Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi… along with several of his ministerial colleagues, as they were targeted by the treacherous Israeli criminal enemy,” al-Mashat stated.

Local residents in Yemen's capital described the strike as powerful explosions. One unnamed resident said it “felt as if it came from underground.”

Unlike its precise intelligence on the whereabouts of top Hezbollah and Iranian leaders, until recently, Israel had limited intelligence on senior Houthi leaders. However, continued Houthi attacks on Israel eventually prompted Israeli intelligence to invest more effort and resources into acquiring real-time data on Houthi leaders.

The Houthi chief al-Ghamari reportedly survived an Israeli assassination attempt in June but was seriously injured.

Backed by the Iranian regime, the Houthis have launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel since October 2023. While the group claims its actions are carried out in solidarity with Hamas and Gaza, its motives mirror those of Iran, openly calling for Israel’s destruction. The Houthis’ slogan declares: “God is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse be upon the Jews, Victory to Islam.”

The Houthis have also targeted numerous international commercial vessels in the strategically vital Red Sea, a trade corridor through which goods worth an estimated $1 trillion pass each year.

In July, the Houthis threatened to resume attacks on all vessels commercially linked to Israel.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces call on all countries, if they want to avoid this escalation, to pressure the enemy to halt its aggression and lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip,” a Houthi spokesperson threatened.

Houthi attacks on commercial ships have significantly undermined global trade routes between Asia and Western nations.

With Hamas and Hezbollah significantly weakened in the ongoing war with Israel, the Houthis remain the Iranian regime’s most active proxy in the region. Nevertheless, their missile attacks have had only a limited effect on Israel’s security and daily life.