Israeli forces said it conducted a strike on the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital city of Sana'a on Aug. 28, killing the prime minister of the Houthi-organized government.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the strike on Aug. 30, stating that Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi was killed “along with additional senior officials of the Houthi terrorist regime.”
Israel’s military said it targeted a facility used by senior Houthi leaders responsible for recent attacks on Israel.
“The IDF will continue to target all threats against Israeli civilians,” the Israeli military added.
The Houthi terrorist group is an Iran-backed Zaidi Shiite faction that originally formed in opposition to Yemen’s existing internationally recognized government.
Since 2015, the Houthis have controlled the Yemeni capital city of Sana'a and have expanded control over an area of the country encompassing nearly 80 percent of the country’s population of 32 million people.
Al-Rahawi had been the prime minister of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, which was formed in 2016 as the pro-Houthi alternative to the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which relocated to the southern port city of Aden.
Al-Rahawi took office on Aug. 10, 2024.
Mahdi al-Mashat, the president of the Supreme Political Council, shared a statement on Aug. 30 mourning al-Rahawi’s death and the deaths of others killed in the Israeli airstrike. Al-Mashat has since named First Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Ahmad Miftah to replace the deceased prime minister.
While the Yemeni internal conflict has died down in recent years, the Houthis have turned more of their attention outward. Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on southern Israel and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have launched periodic drone and missile attacks on Israel and on commercial shipping in the neighboring Middle Eastern waterways.
The Houthis have claimed solidarity with the Palestinian cause and vowed to continue their attacks until the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip ends.
The Houthis have claimed responsibility for a missile attack targeting Israel’s civilian Ben Gurion Airport. The attack coincided with an intensifying Israeli military operation in Gaza City.
Israeli forces launched airstrikes on targets across Sana'a earlier this week in response to the Houthi missile attack.
For now, the Houthis are signaling their continued resolve to trade blows with Israel.
Al-Mashat, on Aug. 30, threatened that “dark days” await Israel, and Houthi Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Mohammad Nasser Al-Atifi said his forces stand ready to confront Israel.
