Houthi prime minister killed in Israeli airstrike as tensions rise

An Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the Iranian-backed Houthis, the group confirmed in a statement on Saturday. Ahmed al-Rahawi, who had served as prime minister for one year, died while attending a government meeting on Thursday in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

In a statement broadcast on a Houthi-run television network, the group said, “The Israeli enemy targeted the prime minister and several ministers during a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activity and performance over the past year.” 

Entire Houthi cabinet potentially wiped out 

While Israel’s government has not yet commented on the strike that took out al-Rahawi, Israeli media reports that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have claimed the entirety of the Houthis’ cabinet was likely killed in Thursday’s strikes. 

According to the Times of Israel, political sources said, “it seems the attack succeeded,” adding, “there is growing assessment that the entire Houthi military and governmental elite were eliminated in the attack.” 

In its statement, the Houthis said al-Rahwai was targeted Thursday during a routine workshop for government officials. Other government heads in attendance included Defense Minister Muhammad Nasser al-Attafi and Chief of Staff Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Ghamari.

“The key point is that the Israelis are finally getting very good intelligence on the Houthis, and this is either through good signal intelligence and/or human informants,” Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near East Studies at Princeton University, told Straight Arrow News.

Israel, Houthis escalate tensions

Thursday’s attack followed a series of escalating tensions, including a Houthi ballistic missile strike towards Israel on Aug. 22. Israel responded to that strike on Aug. 24, killing numerous people and injuring dozens more in Sanaa.

Israel and the Houthis have traded blows ever since the IDF launched its war on Hamas in Gaza in October 2023. The Houthis describe their missile strikes as solidarity with the Palestinian people. Despite some breaks in the attacks over the past 22 months, hostilities have largely gone on unabated. 

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Friday, “The Houthis operate as an additional terrorist branch of Iran, continue to attack Israel, and threaten regional and international stability. Our message is clear — there will be no tolerance.”

On the other side of the divide, al-Ghamari –– who was reportedly seriously injured in Thursday’s strike but was not killed –– said Friday that Israel’s attacks on Sanaa “will not go unpunished,” according to Turkish public broadcaster, TRT Global. The outlet said al-Ghamari “praised Palestinians as heroes…while saluting Gaza residents’ determination.”

Battle in the Red Sea

Aside from its aerial attacks targeting Israel –– many of which are intercepted –– the Houthis have also taken aim at shipping vessels in the Red Sea. Since November 2023, the group has launched more than 100 strikes targeting ships.

As recently as March, the group claimed responsibility for two attacks off Yemen’s coast in 24 hours. Then, in April, a U.S. Navy fighter jet was swept overboard while making a sudden hard turn to evade Houthi fire. In May, the Trump administration announced a deal with the Houthis to halt airstrikes in exchange for the rebels stopping attacks on merchant ships.

While attacks against some international ships have become less frequent, the Houthis warned in late July that they will target merchant vessels belonging to any company associated with Israel, regardless of nationality, as part of what they call their next phase of a military campaign against Israel.

Houthi attacks against merchant ships over the past two years have disrupted shipping in the Red Sea, which reportedly sees around $1 trillion in goods pass through it each year.