Houthi-led government says Israeli airstrike killed its prime minister in Sanaa
An Israeli strike on Yemen’s capital killed Ahmed al-Rahawi, the prime minister of the Houthi-controlled government, along with several ministers, according to the rebel movement, marking the highest-profile Houthi death since the group’s direct confrontation with Israel began during the Gaza war. Israel said it conducted a precise strike on a Houthi “terrorist regime” military target in the Sanaa area but did not immediately confirm al-Rahawi’s death. The attack occurred Thursday while senior officials met for what the Houthis described as a routine annual review workshop. Houthi media later honored al-Rahawi as a “martyr.”
What happened
The Houthis announced Saturday that al-Rahawi and multiple ministers were killed in Thursday’s strike in Sanaa, and said other officials were wounded. The meeting targeted was described by the group as a government performance evaluation session. Israeli authorities said on Thursday they had struck a Houthi military target near Sanaa but did not comment on the death claim as of Saturday. The strike coincided with a televised speech by Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, a moment when senior officials typically gather to watch pre-recorded addresses, potentially increasing the concentration of targets in one place.
Earlier in the week, Israeli strikes hit multiple areas in Sanaa, killing at least 10 and wounding 102, according to the Houthi-run health ministry and other Houthi government officials. The Israeli military has stepped up attacks on Houthi targets as the group fires missiles and drones toward Israel and targets shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, actions the Houthis frame as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has repeatedly struck Sanaa and other Houthi-held areas in recent months, and an Israeli strike in May knocked Sanaa’s airport out of service, limiting inbound and outbound flights.
Houthi and affiliated media circulated confirmations of al-Rahawi’s death and framed it as part of a broader confrontation with Israel. In addition to the group’s statement, Houthi-aligned Yemeni television declared him a “martyr” and aired images and commentary marking his killing. Independent outlets also reported the strike killed several ministers, with at least one report noting uncertainty around other senior officials’ fates.
Who Ahmed al-Rahawi was
Al-Rahawi, appointed prime minister in August 2024, was a veteran political figure who hailed from the southern province of Abyan and had longstanding ties to the late Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh before aligning with the Houthis after their takeover of Sanaa in 2014. His killing is the most senior Houthi loss since Israel and the United States intensified air and naval operations in response to the group’s missile and drone attacks on Israel and on Red Sea shipping lanes. The Houthis have maintained authority across much of northern Yemen during the country’s protracted civil conflict.
The broader conflict between Israel and the Houthis
Since the Gaza war escalated, the Houthis have periodically launched missiles toward Israel and sought to disrupt maritime traffic they accuse of being linked to Israel and its allies. While many missile launches toward Israel are intercepted or fail mid-flight, the sustained tempo has drawn repeated Israeli retaliation against targets in Sanaa and other Houthi-controlled areas. The Red Sea crisis has rerouted global trade, with roughly $1 trillion in goods normally transiting the waterway each year affected by disruptions and risk.
U.S. policy has oscillated with the crisis: airstrikes under two administrations aimed to deter Houthi maritime attacks, culminating in a May 2025 arrangement in which Washington halted strikes in exchange for an end to attacks on commercial shipping. The Houthis said that understanding did not restrict what they view as resistance operations against Israel, and their launches toward Israel continued, prompting further Israeli action in Yemen. The result has been a volatile cycle of Houthi attacks and Israeli strikes that has broadened the conflict beyond Gaza while entangling international shipping and regional partners.
What the strike signals
The targeting of al-Rahawi during a scheduled internal review suggests Israeli intelligence is prioritizing nodes of governance that double as political-military coordination hubs, not just missile launch infrastructure. That approach aims to degrade the Houthis’ capacity to plan, message, and mobilize, but it risks rallying domestic support around the movement’s leadership narrative and could accelerate retaliatory salvos toward Israel or shipping.
Leadership decapitation rarely disables insurgent-bureaucratic groups that have durable command structures, battlefield experience, and deep social networks built over a decade of war. The Houthis have demonstrated institutional resilience through multiple bombing campaigns, rotating leaders and absorbing losses while maintaining operational tempo. A succession process for the premiership is likely already prepared, minimizing administrative disruption even as the group leverages the killing for propaganda and recruitment.
Regionally, the strike heightens the chance of a near-term escalatory exchange: concentrated missile or drone barrages toward Israel; attempts to impose new shipping chokepoints or target flagged vessels; and calibrated Israeli strikes deeper into Houthi-controlled territory. Each step increases miscalculation risks—especially if a mass-casualty event at sea or a strike causing significant civilian harm in Sanaa triggers broader intervention or international pressure.
What to watch next
- Succession moves: Whether the Houthis swiftly appoint a new prime minister and signal continuity, or elevate a caretaker to manage immediate fallout.
- Retaliation patterns: Changes in frequency, range, or payload of Houthi launches toward Israel, and any shift from harassment to saturation tactics.
- Maritime risk: Target selection in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden—ownership, flag, and cargo could indicate whether the Houthis seek economic leverage or political messaging.
- Israeli targeting: Whether subsequent strikes focus on leadership nodes, command-and-control, or logistics—each has different escalation profiles and civilian risk.
- External actors: Responses from regional states and great powers—interdictions, convoying, or renewed multinational strikes could reshape the deterrence balance.
- Humanitarian fallout: Airfield closures, fuel shortages, and damage to urban infrastructure in Sanaa can quickly degrade civilian access to aid and essential services.
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