Reports Claim Houthi PM Ahmed al-Rahawi Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Yemen
Reports from Yemeni media indicate that the Iran-backed Houthi group’s prime minister in Yemen was killed during Israeli airstrikes in Sanaa on Friday, August 29. Outlets Al-Jumhuriya and Aden Al-Ghad stated that Ahmed al-Rahawi died in a strike targeting an apartment, with Aden Al-Ghad adding that multiple associates were also slain. Israel has yet to verify these accounts.
That same day, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) acknowledged conducting a targeted airstrike on a Houthi military site near Sanaa, following the interception of two drones. The operation received approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, and other senior leaders via the Red Line system, according to Defence Minister Israel Katz’s office. Katz remarked, “After the plague of darkness comes the plague of the firstborn,” implying the strike may have aimed at top Houthi figures. This echoes prior Israeli media suggestions that the group’s political leadership was in the crosshairs.
The Houthis have firmly denied the allegations, charging Israel with attacking civilian facilities and deeming it a breach of international law. Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population condemned the incident as a “war crime.” This follows the Houthis’ recent admission of firing a missile toward southern Israel, which Israeli forces reported intercepting successfully.