MWE Correspondent
An Israeli airstrike on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, has killed the prime minister of the Houthi-run administration along with several senior ministers, marking one of the most significant blows to the movement’s leadership since the war began.
The attack, carried out on Thursday, was confirmed two days later by Houthi political leader Mahdi al-Mashat.
The strike hit a villa in the Bayt Baws district of Sanaa where senior officials had gathered. Several others were wounded, though details on the full list of casualties remain unclear. Israel said its military had been targeting the Houthi defense minister and chief of staff, but it is still verifying whether those leaders were among the dead.
The slain prime minister, Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi, was appointed in 2024 and widely seen as a ceremonial figure rather than a central decision-maker. His deputy, Mohammed Miftah, was quickly named to assume his responsibilities. Al-Rahwi’s political career reflected Yemen’s turbulent history—he had once been close to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, before eventually siding with the Houthis after they seized Sanaa in 2014, an event that ignited the ongoing Yemeni Civil War.
Also Read; ACT Wazalendo Expels Member Amid Election Dispute
Israeli officials described the strike as a direct effort to disrupt Houthi command structures, particularly after the group intensified attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis have said these operations are acts of solidarity with Palestinians, linking their campaign to the broader Israel–Hamas war.
The aftermath of the strike saw Houthi forces raiding United Nations offices in Sanaa and Hodeida, detaining staff from several humanitarian agencies. The United Nations Secretary-General condemned the move, warning that such actions threaten critical relief work in a country already struggling with food shortages and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Analysts say the death of senior political figures could either weaken the group’s cohesion or strengthen hardliners within its ranks. Israel, for its part, has reinforced its air defenses, anticipating potential retaliation. The attack underscores the deepening entanglement of Yemen in the wider regional conflict, raising fears of further escalation in an already volatile Middle East.
