Security boosted for Netanyahu and Katz following threats after elimination of Houthi leaders

Following the Israeli strike which killed the Houthi prime minister and seven other officials, security for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz has been increased. 

The first indication of the increased security came on Sunday morning, when public broadcaster Kan News noted that the cabinet meeting scheduled for Sunday evening had changed venue to a more secure location at the recommendation of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet). 

Houthi officials had threatened retaliation for the airstrike, with the Houthi president Mohammed al-Houthi threatening, “The blood of the martyrs will be the fuel and engine for continuing on this path. We emphasize to our people, to the Palestinian people, and to all members of the nation that we will continue our position of support and assistance to Gaza. We will continue to build our armed forces and develop their capabilities, in order to face all challenges and dangers, as our Yemeni people are present in all arenas.” 

Al-Houthi’s statement was echoed by Mahdi al-Mashat, the chairman of the Houthi Supreme Council, who threatened Israel with retaliation. 

“We fully trust the Yemeni leadership's ability to overcome suffering and continue the campaign against the Zionist entity despite the many victims and the conspiracy against us. I appeal to the Zionists: Our blood will not be silenced. We will wait for dark days for what your treacherous government has done. We will continue and respond with defiance to defiance until victory, and you Zionists will not know another day of security,” al-Mashat said in a statement Saturday evening. 

On Sunday evening, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi vowed to continue targeting Israel with missiles and drones in a speech broadcast on al-Masirah TV. 

Al-Houthi claimed that “the coming days will see additional success” in the fight against Israel. He also claimed that the Israeli strike targeted “ministers working in civilian capacities.” 

“The crime of attacking ministers and civil servants is added to the balance of crimes of the Israeli enemy in the region,” al-Houthi said. “The entire list of fatalities is made up of ministers who worked in civilian affairs. The Israeli enemy is a danger to the entire nation.” 

While initial reports indicated that the Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Ghalib Nasser Al-Rahwi had been killed in the airstrike, the exact number and identities of those killed was not known. However, on Monday, the Houthi-owned Al- Masirah TV announced the names of all officials killed in the strike ahead of a funeral ceremony. 

Update: The Houthis’ official television @TvAlmasirah announced today the names of those who were killed in the recent Israeli strike.

Those killed are:
1.Ahmed Ghalib Nasser Al-Rahwi – de facto Prime Minister, Head of the Government of Change and Construction
2.Mujahid Ahmed… https://t.co/RbLUFYbB0x pic.twitter.com/oepRFqZ3Vw

— Basha باشا (@BashaReport) September 1, 2025

Al-Masirah named twelve officials, making up the majority of the Houthi political cabinet. According to reports in Houthi-controlled Yemen, only four officials from the cabinet were not killed in the strike. It is not clear whether they were at the cabinet meeting, which had gathered to watch a speech by the Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. 

Israel initially believed that Houthi Chief of Staff Mohammed Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari and  Defense Minister Mohammed al-Atefi were also in attendance, however, their names were absent from the list of ministers published by Al-Masirah TV. 

In the first signs of Houthi retaliation, on Monday the rebels said they launched an attack on an oil tanker, the Scarlet Ray, off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea which ran a Liberian flag but is owned by an Israeli company. 

Also on Monday morning, the Associated Press reported that Houthi soldiers raided offices of the United Nations in the capital city of Sanaa, detaining at least 11 employees. While the Houthis have acted against UN staffers in Houthi territory before, it appears that the move could be related to the Israeli strike.