Yemen’s Houthi rebel movement has confirmed that its self-proclaimed prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, was killed in an Israeli air strike on the capital, Sanaa, earlier this week.
The Houthis, backed by Iran, said Rahawi died alongside several senior officials when Israeli fighter jets struck a gathering in the Sanaa area on Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike “eliminated” Rahawi and other senior members of the group within hours of receiving intelligence on their location.
While the Houthis did not publicly name other casualties, Saudi outlet al-Hadath reported that the group’s foreign minister and the ministers of justice, youth and sports, social affairs, and labour were among those killed. The office of Mahdi al-Mashat, the Houthis’ president, said several other ministers sustained moderate to serious injuries.
The rebels added that Muhammad Ahmed Miftah, deputy prime minister, would assume Rahawi’s role.
Rahawi, who was appointed in August 2024, was widely regarded as a symbolic figure rather than part of the Houthis’ core decision-making circle, which is led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Neither the movement’s top leader, its defence minister, nor its military chief of staff were said to be among the casualties of Thursday’s attack.
The IDF said it is still assessing the full impact of the strike.
The Houthis have controlled much of north-western Yemen since 2014, after ousting the internationally recognised government from Sanaa and sparking a devastating civil war. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, the group has stepped up attacks on Israel, launching missiles and drones while targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They say the actions are in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel, in response, has carried out repeated air strikes on Houthi-held areas of Yemen, aimed at disrupting the group’s military capabilities. Just last week, the IDF said it struck Houthi targets in Sanaa after the group launched a missile attack allegedly carrying cluster munitions.
Rahawi’s death marks one of the most significant Houthi losses in recent months, though the movement’s top leadership remains intact.
Melissa Enoch
