Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi, prime minister of the Houthi-led government of Yemen, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Sanaa, Arab media reported on Friday.
The strike was carried out during a meeting of government officials who had gathered to listen to a speech by the leader of the Shiite Ansar Allah movement. Several people were killed in the attack, including the prime minister. His death was confirmed by Erem News in the UAE, citing sources in Sanaa.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Defence Minister Mohammed Nasser al-Atyfi and Houthi chief of staff in Sanaa, Mohammed Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, were also killed. More than ten air strikes were recorded across the capital, targeting a meeting of senior officials who were watching a speech by Houthi leader Abdullah Malik al-Houthi.
Reuters, citing military sources in Yemen, reports that the attack took place in the area of the presidential complex, which housed the operational headquarters and missile depot of “Iran-linked militants.” However, a source in the Houthi Ministry of Defence denies that any members of the movement were attacked. He said that Israel is attacking “civilian targets and Yemenis because of their positions in support of Gaza.”
The IDF press service confirmed the strikes in Yemen but did not disclose the targets of the attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz had previously approved the offensive in Yemen, according to Channel 12. According to an Israeli source, the killings of senior officials in Yemen were planned earlier in the week as part of a previous wave of attacks, but were only carried out now. The operation was named “Drop of Luck.”
Last Sunday, Sana’a was subjected to large-scale air strikes after the Houthis used cluster munitions in an attack on Israel. The Houthis claim to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. They are also attacking ships in the Red Sea, causing serious disruptions to global trade. Israel is retaliating with strikes on Yemen.
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have fired 72 ballistic missiles and at least 23 drones at Israel.
