Sanaa (Yemen): Ahmed al-Rahawi, prime minister of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, has been killed in an air strike by Israel. This was confirmed by the Houthis.
Some other ministers were also killed in the high-precision strike during a meeting at the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital Sanaa. Others were injured, some of them seriously.
“We announce the martyrdom of the fighter Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi… along with several of his ministerial colleagues, as they were targeted by the treacherous Israeli criminal enemy,” a statement released by the Houthis said, according to AFP.
“Others among their companions were injured with moderate to serious wounds and are receiving medical care since Thursday afternoon,” the statement added.
The Israeli military confirmed that it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.”
Al-Rahawi has been serving as prime minister to the Houthi-led government since August 2024. According to sources, he was targeted along with other members of his government during a routine workshop held by the government. He is the most senior official known to have been killed in the Israeli strikes during the ongoing war in Gaza.
The Houthis have been carrying out missile and drone attacks on Israel for the last several months in solidarity with the Palestinians. The group also targeted ships carrying supplies to Israel in the Red Sea. Israel began its latest round of retaliatory strikes on Thursday.