The strike came as Israel continued its unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran. [Getty]
Israel has attempted to assassinate the chief of staff of Yemen’s Houthi rebel group, Israeli media reported on Saturday evening.
The Israeli military launched airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sana’a targeting Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, an official told Israeli public broadcaster Kan.
The result of the strike remains unconfirmed, with no information yet on whether al-Ghamari was killed or who else was present.
Regional media outlets claimed that the strike targeted a meeting of the Jihad Council, the Houthis’ top military decision-making body.
Supreme Political Council head Mahdi Al-Mashat and senior military figures were reported to be in attendance.
The Houthis have not issued any statements about the reported attack.
“If the attack was successful, it was a significant event,” the Israeli source told Kan.
The assault in Yemen came on the second day of Israel’s unprecedented attack on Iran. Since Friday, it has assassinated key military officials and bombed nuclear facilities, military sites, and energy infrastructure.
Iran has responded with several volleys of ballistic missiles targeting central and northern Israel, hitting the Israeli military’s headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Haifa oil refinery.
Earlier on Saturday, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi pledged full support for Iran and threatened to launch an “open and continuous war” against Israel.
The Yemeni group said on Sunday it had launched several ballistic missiles at Israel over the past 24 hours, coinciding with Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarae said it carried out an attack on “sensitive Israeli enemy targets” in central Israel’s Jaffa in coordination with the Iranian army.
The Israeli military said on Friday a missile fired from Yemen had landed near Hebron in the occupied West Bank and its air defences were not activated.
The Houthis have launched hundreds of projectiles towards Israel since October 2023, saying this was in solidarity with Palestinians suffering due to Israel’s brutal war on Gaza.
The Iran-backed group in May vowed to impose an “air blockade” on Israel after landing a missile inside the perimeter of Ben Gurion Airport. Dozens of airlines subsequently suspended flights to Israel.
