Yemen’s Houthi rebel movement has confirmed that its self-declared Prime Minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the capital, Sanaa, earlier this week.
According to the Houthis, the strike also killed several ministers, while others sustained serious injuries. Saudi news outlet al-Hadath reported that the group’s foreign minister, justice minister, youth and sports minister, and social affairs and labor minister were among the dead.
Israel’s military said the attack was launched within hours of receiving intelligence about a gathering of senior Houthi leaders. “Rahawi and other officials were eliminated,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement, adding that the full impact of the strike was still being assessed.
Rahawi, who assumed the post in August 2024, was considered more of a symbolic figure than a key strategist within the group’s leadership. The Houthis announced that Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ahmed Miftah will take over his role.
The group’s top leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, as well as its defense minister and chief of staff, were not reported among the casualties.
The Houthis have controlled much of north-western Yemen since 2014, after ousting the internationally recognized government from Sanaa. Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, they have regularly launched missile and drone attacks on Israel and targeted shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.
In response, Israel has intensified airstrikes on Houthi-held areas of Yemen, aiming to curb the group’s attacks.
