30 August 2025 , 19:58
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An Israeli airstrike has killed the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, as stated by the Houthis.
Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed on Thursday in a strike in Sanaa along with a number of ministers, the rebels reported in a statement. The statement also mentioned that other ministers and officials were injured, but did not provide further details.
He is the highest-ranking Houthi official killed in the Israeli-US campaign against the Iranian-backed rebels.
The prime minister was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a “routine workshop held by the government to assess its activities and performance over the past year,” according to the Houthi statement.
Thursday’s Israeli strike took place as the rebel-owned television station was broadcasting a speech by Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the secretive leader of the rebel group, where he was providing updates on the latest developments in Gaza and promising retaliation against Israel.
Senior Houthi officials used to gather to watch al-Houthi’s pre-recorded speeches.
On Thursday, the Israeli military stated that it “accurately struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.” The military did not immediately comment on the announcement of the prime minister’s killing on Saturday.
The prime minister was originally from the southern province of Abyan and was an ally of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He allied himself with the Houthis when the rebels took over Sanaa and much of the north and center of the country in 2014, starting the country’s long-running civil war. He was appointed as prime minister in August 2024.
Al-Rahawi is the highest-ranking Houthi official to be killed since the United States and Israel commenced their air and naval campaign in response to the rebels’ missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis initiated a campaign targeting ships in response to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, claiming they were doing so in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Their attacks over the past two years have disrupted shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passes each year.
In May, the Trump administration announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in exchange for an end to attacks on shipping. However, the rebels stated that the agreement did not include stopping attacks on targets they considered aligned with Israel.
Head of Investigations