Iran-backed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in an Israeli strike on Yemen’s Sanaa. In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces said the Houthis – which control most of the parts of Yemen – are operating under the direction of Iran and are funding terror activities.
Iran-backed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi has been killed in an Israeli airstrike on Yemen’s capital Sanaa, according to media reports. al-Rahawi was in his apartment in Sanaa when he was killed in the Israeli strike.ย
The Israel military conducted the strike on Thursday.ย
According to a report by Euro News, the group’s defence minister, Mohamed al-Atifi, was also killed in the strike. Besides, other top officials, including Chief of Staff Muhammad Abd Al-Karim al-Ghamari, was also killed in the strike. The Israeli officials are now trying to confirm the deaths of al-Rahawi, al-Atifi and other Houthi officials.ย
‘Houthis operating under Iranian direction’
In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the Houthis – which controls most of the parts of Yemen – are operating under the direction of Iran and are funding terror activities. It said the Houthis are “undermining regional stability and disrupting global freedom of navigation”.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strike was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that the Houthis were “aware of the consequences”. “As we warned the Houthis in Yemen, after the Plague of Darkness comes the Plague of the Firstborn. Whoever raises a hand against Israel โ his hand will be cut off,” Katz said.ย
Who was al-Rahawi?ย
Ahmed al-Rahawi was serving as the prime minister of the Houthi-led government from August 2024. A member of the General People’s Congress Party, al-Rahawi was a native of Yemen’s Khanfar. His father, Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, a politician, was assassinated in the 1970s, and al-Rahawi even faced several assassination attempts. In 2015, his residence in Ba Tays was attacked by Al-Qaeda, after which he moved to Sanaa.ย
In 2019, al-Rahawi became a member of the Supreme Political Council. In August 2024, the Supreme Political Council made al-Rahawi – who was also a member of the General People’s Congress Party’s central committee – the prime minister. He succeeded Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour, who served as the prime minister October 4, 2016, to August 10, 2024.
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