Major General Mohammed al-Ghamari, the military chief of Yemen’s Iran-backed armed rebel group, the Houthis, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike. The Houthi group confirmed Ghamari’s death on Thursday but did not disclose further details about the incident.
In a statement, the Houthis said that Major General Mohammed al-Ghamari was “martyred during an honorable battle against the Israeli enemy.”
Earlier, on September 26, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) carried out an airstrike targeting Houthi positions in Yemen, killing at least nine people. At that time, the IDF stated that the operation targeted the Houthis’ main headquarters.
The Houthi group said in its statement that the conflict with Israel is not over and that Israel “will face appropriate retaliatory punishment for its crimes.”
Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, the Houthis have launched multiple missile attacks on Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians. In response, Israel has frequently conducted airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
On June 14, the Israeli Defense Forces also conducted an airstrike targeting a senior Houthi military leader. The IDF said at the time that it would soon verify whether the mission had been successful.
• Who Was the Killed Houthi Leader?
Mohammed al-Ghamari had been serving as the chief of staff of the Houthi military wing since 2016. That same year, the group’s Supreme Political Council promoted him to the rank of major general.
In 2021, he became the commander-in-chief of the group, succeeding Abdul Khalek al-Houthi, who currently serves as the organization’s deputy leader.
After taking command, Ghamari was sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council for “posing a threat to Yemen’s peace, security, and stability.” Later, the U.S. Treasury Department also imposed sanctions against him.
According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed Ghamari’s death, saying, “The Houthis’ chief of staff, Ghamari, was seriously injured in an Israeli strike and later died of his wounds. He has now joined his evil accomplices in hell.”
