The Prime Minister of Yemen's Houthi rebel-controlled government has been killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The deadly missile strike occurred in Yemen's capital Sanaa on Thursday and the Houthis confirmed the death on Saturday in a national broadcast.
Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed along with a number of ministers in a villa in Beit Baws, an ancient village in southern Sanaa.
Other ministers and officials were wounded, but no further details were provided by the Houthi rebels.
Al-Rahawi was the most senior Houthi official killed in the Israeli-US campaign against the Iranian-backed rebels.
He was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a 'routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year,' the Houthi statement said.
Following the strike, a broadcast went out on national television, announcing al-Rahawi's death.
Thursday's strike occurred during broadcast of a speech by Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the secretive leader of the rebel group on the Houthi-owned television station.
Ahmed al-Rahawi (pictured) was killed along with a number of ministers in a villa in Beit Baws in Yemen as part of a US and Israeli airstrike on Thursday
On Thursday, the Israeli military said that it 'precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.'
The strike last Sunday came three days after the Houthis launched a ballistic missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had launched at it since 2023.
Al-Rahawi is the most senior Houthi official to be killed since the United States and Israel began their air and naval campaign in response to the rebels' missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea.
Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst with the Crisis Group International, a Brussels-based think-tank, called the killing of the Houthi prime minister a 'serious setback' for the rebels.
He said the escalation marks an Israeli shift from striking the rebels' infrastructure to targeting their leaders, including senior military figures, which 'poses a greater threat to their command structure.'
The Houthis campaign targeting ships over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods pass each year.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15050225/Prime-Minister-Yemen-Houthi-rebel-government-killed.html
Israeli strike on Houthi military leaders ‘reflects intelligence infiltration’
Dramatic decapitation attack in Yemen
“This is a step up, that’s clear. It reflects, first of all, an intelligence penetration. This means there is progress; the step up is likely on both the intelligence and operational levels,” said Rabi.
He argued the strike was designed to have a profound psychological impact on the Houthi regime, reminiscent of Israel’s previous decapitation strikes against Hezbollah’s leadership in 2024
“You throw the Houthis into a cognitive state where they are on the defense, being pursued. What they thought could not happen is now happening,” Rabin said.
He argued that the strike sends a powerful message to the Houthis that their continued attacks on Israel will be met with a more lethal response over time. “This is very important because it tells the Houthis that Israel has a response capability that is becoming more assertive and more lethal.”
The operation also serves as a warning to other jihadist adversaries in the region. “This is also meant to signal to everyone in the Middle East who is toying with the thought of maybe doing a round against Israel, that the price of an Israeli strike can be very high. That it’s not worth testing it,” he said.
Rabi assessed that the strike would be received positively in Saudi Arabia, which had been terrorized for years by the Houthis in the form of missile and drone attacks, and suggested there could be ongoing intelligence cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia against their common Houthi enemy.
For Iran, already beset by numerous other crises, any new direct conflict would be the last thing it needs, Rabi said.
Significant Israeli airstrikes on the Houthi capital of Sanaa took place, involving, according to an IDF official, over 10 Israeli Air Force fighter jets flying approximately 2,000 kilometers from Israel’s borders in a 5.5-hour mission that required several mid-flight refuelings.
The long-range nature of the conflict was highlighted by IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, during a visit to the Israeli Navy on Sunday. “We are in a multi-front war, at sea, in the air, and on land,” Zamir stated. “Simultaneously, we are also operating thousands of kilometers beyond our borders. There are threats from every arena and in every dimension, and we must constantly act to weaken and thwart them.”
He praised the Israel Navy’s role as Israel’s “long-range arm for strategic depth operations,” noting that it had carried out “covert and essential operations for the security of the state throughout the Middle East.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/414063
Al-Arabiya reports that just four Houthi ministers are still alive following IDF strikes in Sana'a, Yemen
New reports indicate that following an Israeli strike in Sana'a, Yemen, earlier this week, just four Houthi government ministers remain alive.
Reports indicated that among those killed in the Thursday operation were Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and the Ministers of Economy, Industry and Investment; the Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration; and the Deputy Interior Minister.
The strike also killed the Houthi Prime Minister’s office director, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, the Justice Minister Majahad, and the Minister of Youth and Sports.
According to additional reports, the Transportation Minister was also killed.
Houthi Defense Minister Mohammad Nasser Al-Aatfi was reportedly severely injured, while Houthi Chief of Staff Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari was wounded in attacks outside Sanaa.
A spokesperson for the IDF said that the strike targeted “a facility that hosted dozens of senior officials of the Houthi terrorist regime.” Israeli Air Force jets carried out the strike under the guidance of the Intelligence Directorate.
“At the facility were senior officials responsible for the use of force, the military buildup of the Houthi terror regime, and the advancement of terror actions against Israel, along with other key Senior Houthi officials,” the spokesperson said.
“The strike was made possible by seizing an intelligence opportunity and completing a rapid operational cycle, which took place within a few hours.”
No comments:
Post a Comment