The prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi government and several other ministers were killed in an Israeli strike on the capital Sanaa, the news agency run by the group said on Saturday, citing a statement by the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat.
A number of others were wounded in Thursday’s strike, it said, without providing details.
Israel said on Friday that the airstrike had targeted the Iran-aligned group’s chief of staff, defense minister and other senior officials and that it was verifying the outcome.
Channel 12, without citing any sources, reported that the IDF assesses the entire Houthi cabinet, including the prime minister and 12 other ministers, were likely killed. The network said the assessment was not definitive and that the IDF was still working to reach a clearer understanding of the strike’s results.
Mashat’s statement did not make clear whether the defense minister was among the casualties.
Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi became prime minister nearly a year ago, but the de facto leader of the government was his deputy, Mohamed Moftah, who was assigned on Saturday to carry out the prime minister’s duties.
Houthi fighters take part in a weekly anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Rahwi was seen largely as a figurehead who was not part of the inner circle of the Houthi leadership.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets had struck a compound in the Sanaa area where senior Houthi figures had gathered, describing the attack as a “complex operation” made possible by intelligence-gathering and air superiority.
On Thursday, Israeli security sources said the targets had been various locations where a large number of senior Houthi officials had gathered to watch a televised speech recorded by leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel.
The Houthis held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had launched over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July 2024, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen, which has since been followed by numerous others.
Yemenis brandish weapons and daggers during a rally in solidarity with Palestinians and in condemnation of Israel and the US, in the Houthi-run capital Sanaa on August 29, 2025. (Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched 72 ballistic missiles and at least 23 drones at Israel. Several missiles have fallen short.
At a situational assessment held Friday on the military’s ongoing operations across the region, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, “The Houthis operate as an additional terrorist branch of Iran, continue to attack Israel, and threaten regional and international stability. Our message is clear — there will be no tolerance.”
Israeli intelligence provided real-time details of the gathering, enabling the strike, which was carried out despite heavy air defenses in the area, the IDF said.
The defense minister, Muhammad Nasser al-Attafi, has been in his role since 2016 and is considered the senior-most official in the organization’s military establishment, according to Channel 12.
Houthi Defense Minister Muhammad Nasser al-Attafi (Aden TV screenshot via Wikipedia)
He is reported to have established a close relationship with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and with Hezbollah.
Also targeted was Houthi chief of staff Muhammad Al-Ghamari, who was reportedly seriously hurt, but not killed, by an Israeli strike in Yemen in June, carried out during Israel’s brief war with Iran.
Thursday’s strikes marked the 16th time that Israel has attacked the Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) away.
Nurit Yohanan and Stav Levaton contributed to this report.
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