Yemen's Houthis Leader Has Vowed Israel Will Pay After It Killed Its Prime Minister And Several Ministers
The leader of the Houthis, Mahdi al-Mashat, called Israel's killing of Rahawi and the ministers a “major crime” and said that “Israel will pay."
Israel killed Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi, the prime minister of Yemen's Houthi-led government, in an airstrike on Thursday, Aug. 28.
The Houthi-led government controls large parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and is separate from the internationally recognized government that is based in Aden.
Rahawi had been meeting with senior ministers at a villa in Beit Baws, a neighborhood outside Sanaa, when Israeli jets struck the building, according to Reuters.
Houthi officials confirmed on Saturday, Aug. 30, that Rahawi had been killed along with "several" other ministers.
This makes Rahawi the highest-ranking Houthi official to be assassinated by Israel since it began its genocide in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israeli media reported on that the army had attacked the entire Houthi cabinet, according to Al Jazeera.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Houthis, an armed group that controls most parts of Yemen, had been launching missile and drone attacks towards Israel and on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea.
The group, which is backed by Iran, also announced it was imposing a "comprehensive" aerial blockade on Israel in May 2025.
The leader of the Houthis, Mahdi al-Mashat, called Israel's killing of Rahawi and the ministers a “major crime” and said that “Israel will pay."
Al-Rahawi’s deputy, Muhammad Ahmed Miftah, has since been sworn in as acting prime minister.
Cherry Mohamed
Isha Jain
Kassy Cho
