Israeli strike in Yemen kills Houthi prime minister, several ministers; rebel group confirms

The strike, carried out on Thursday, also injured several others, though details of the casualties were not immediately provided.

Israel, which confirmed targeting senior Houthi officials including the chief of staff and defence minister, said on Friday it was still verifying the results of the operation.

Group’s political council head Mahdi al-Mashat’s statement confirming the prime minister’s death did not specify whether defence minister Mohamed al-Atifi was among the dead.

Interestingly, the news agency published a separate statement from al-Atifi soon after, in which he declared the Houthis were ready to confront Israel.

It remained unclear whether the defence minister’s remarks had been issued before or after the strike.

Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi, who became prime minister about a year ago, was largely regarded as a figurehead, with his deputy Mohamed Moftah considered the real decision-maker.

Following Rahwi’s death, Moftah was assigned to take over the prime minister’s duties.

Al-Atifi, the Houthis’ defence chief, commands the Missiles Brigade Group and is recognised as the group’s top missiles strategist.

The Israeli military described the Sanaa airstrike as a “complex operation” enabled by intelligence gathering and air power.

According to Israeli security sources, the targets were several locations where senior Houthi leaders had assembled to watch a pre-recorded speech by Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, the Iran-backed Houthis have launched missile strikes toward Israel and targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea, framing these actions as solidarity with Palestinians.

Most of their missiles have been intercepted, but Israel has retaliated with repeated strikes on Houthi-held areas of Yemen, including Hodeidah port.

Over the past year, Israel has also assassinated several senior commanders of Hamas and Hezbollah, severely undermining both groups’ leadership structures.

Mashat, in his statement, reaffirmed the Houthis’ stance: “We remain steadfast in our genuine position of supporting and standing with the people of Gaza, and in building and developing the capabilities of our armed forces to confront all challenges and dangers.”