An Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the Houthi-controlled government in Yemen, along with other Houthi political leaders, earlier this week. The strike occurred in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Thursday, killing Houthi prime minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, the most senior official in the Iran-backed Houthis. They pushed on themselves.
al-Rahawi, along with other senior Houthi officials, was targeted during a “routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year,” the Houthis stated. The IDF stated that the Houthi leaders targeted were responsible “for the use of force, the military buildup of the Houthi terror regime, and the advancement of terror actions against Israel. The IDF will continue to target all threats against Israeli civilians.”
“The strike was made possible by seizing an intelligence opportunity and completing a rapid operational cycle, which took place within a few hours,” the IDF added. The attack reportedly killed six people and wounded 86 others, according to a Reuters report, citing a Houthi Health Ministry spokesperson. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue attacking the Houthi leadership, stating that the terror group will “pay a very heavy price for their aggression against the State of Israel.”
“We are doing what no one has done before us, and this is only the beginning of the strikes on senior officials in Sanaa – we will get to all of them,” Netanyahu stated on Sunday. The Houthis, designated by the Trump administration as a terrorist organization, began attacking Israel after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, in support of its Iran-backed ally. The Houthis have also been attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea to disrupt international shipping lanes in solidarity with the Palestinians as Israel’s siege on Gaza continues.
In response to the latest Israeli attack, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi vowed to continue acting in opposition to Israel, stating that the people of Yemen “will not be weakened by the aggression they are facing.” “The Israeli enemy, with its crimes and savagery, does not spare even children, women and defenseless civilians,” al-Houthi stated. “The crime of targeting ministers and civilian officials is added to the criminal record of the Israeli enemy in the region.”