1 of 2 | A man on Saturday watches a TV in Sanaa, Yemen, showing Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Al-Rahawi, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes in the capital. Photo by Yahya Arhab/EPA
Ahmed al-Rahawi, the prime minister of the Houthis-controlled Yemen government, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the capital of Sanaa, a spokesman for the militant group said Saturday.
The prime minister and his colleagues were at a government workshop on Thursday. A number of them were also killed or wounded, the spokesman said.
“We announce the martyrdom of Prime Minister Mujahid Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi … along with a number of his fellow ministers,” the presidency said in a statement carried on Houthi-run television.
The airstrikes were reported Friday by The Jerusalem Post in an attempt to assassinate senior Houthi leaders, including the prime minister, but no casualties were confirmed. Defense Minister Israel Katz called it a “strike on the firstborn.”
The Times of Israel also reported Friday that the Houthi defense minister and chief of staff were targeted in that attack.
The prime minister’s role was largely symbolic with Abdul Malik al-Houthi the leader, The New York Times reported. The government, which has ruled most of northwestern Yemen since a civil war began in 2024, is backed by Iran.
Al-Rahawi served in local government until being named to the Supreme Political Council in 2019. He was named prime minister in August 2024.
The Houthis named Muhammad Muftah, the prime minister’s deputy, as acting prime minister.
“The blood of the martyrs will be the fuel and engine for continuing on this path,” the presidency said, according to Israel’s Meko, which includes Channel 12. “We emphasize to our people, to the Palestinian people, to all members of the nation that we will continue our position in support and assistance to Gaza. We will continue to build our armed forces and develop their capabilities, in order to face all challenges and dangers, as our Yemeni people are present in all arenas.”
The Houthis’ slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, a Curse on the Jews.”
In November 2023, the Houthis began firing missiles and drones at Israeli cities after Hamas attacked the nation on Oct. 7. These efforts are in solidarity with their Palestinian allies.
The Houthis also fired at ships passing by in the Red Sea to force a blockade on Israel and disrupt trade.
In response, Israel has sent fighter jets around 1,000 miles to Yemn to hit power stations and ports. Thursday’s strikes were 16th time that Israel has attacked the mlitants.
In March, the U.S. military conducted an airstrike mission, codenamed Operation Rough Rider.
On March 24, it was confirmed that several top U.S. national security officials accidentally added a journalist, Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, was added to a private, secure Signal group chat where they discussed classified military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen.
President Donald Trump had pledged that the Houthis would be “completely annihilated” but in May he announced the end of bombings because the militants “don’t want to fight anymore.”
Despite a cease-fire, the Houthis have conducted attacks.
Yemen, which is located in the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, has an estimated population of 41.8 million, according to the United Nations Population Fund.
The nation is predominantly Arab, though there are Yemenis of mixed African and Arab descent.
