Yemen’s Houthi group confirmed Saturday that the prime minister of its government was killed in an Israeli air strike on the capital Sanaa on August 28.
In a statement, the Houthis said Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi and a number of ministers were killed in the attack that targeted Sanaa on Thursday.
Several other ministers were also injured in the strike, it added.
On Friday, Houthi Chief of Staff Muhammad Abdul Karim Al-Ghamari said that Israel's attacks on Yemen's capital of Sanaa "will not go unpunished," following claims of an assassination attempt against senior Houthi leaders, according to the Houthi-affiliated SABA news agency.
Ghamari said Israel's targeting of civilian neighbourhoods in Sanaa would face retaliation. He emphasised Yemen would not retreat from supporting Gaza, regardless of the "scale of targeting or sacrifices required."
He characterised Israeli escalation in Palestine’s Gaza and Yemen as signs of failure, rather than strength, after nearly two years of attacks.
Ghamari praised Palestinians as heroes "preparing to inflict heavy losses" on Israeli forces while saluting Gaza residents' determination.
Assassination attempt
The Israeli military said Thursday it attempted to assassinate Ghamari and Houthi Defence Minister Mohammed al-Atifi in strikes on Sanaa.
A statement claimed it tried to also eliminate other senior Houthi government leaders.
Israel said the attack targeted a high-level Houthi leadership meeting based on precise intelligence, receiving approval from political leaders and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets and targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where over 63,000 people have been killed in an Israeli genocidal war.
