Yemen’s Houthi government has belatedly confirmed that an Israeli attack launched days ago killed its prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, who was the most senior Houthi official to have been slain in the ongoing conflict thus far.
The official Houthi statement further acknowledged that several al-Rahawi’s colleagues were also killed and wounded, but did not disclose their identities.
Israel had intentionally targeted a significant gathering of top civilian and military leadership in the capital of Sanaa with huge daytime strikes Thursday afternoon. Israel’s military had soon after announced that it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.”
“Al-Rahawi, who served as prime minister to the Houthi-led government since August 2024, was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year, the rebels’ statement said,” according to reports.
And according to Israeli media citing anonymous security sources, intelligence indicated that ten senior Houthi officials, including the group’s defense minister, had gathered near Sanaa to attend a speech by Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi – although whether the defense minister has been killed has not been confirmed.
The IDF believes it killed the entire Houthi cabinet. Below is how the Houthi statement disclosed it, without revealing the full extent of the casualties or names or positions:
“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.”
Hellbound and Down 