Yemen's Houthis vow vengeance after PM slain
Rahawi, who was appointed last year, was killed along with other officials during the attack.
Yahya Arhab/EPA
SANAA (AFP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels said Saturday their prime minister had been killed in an Israeli air strike earlier this week, the most senior official known to have died in a series of attacks during the Gaza war.
An Israeli army statement later Saturday confirmed the strike and that it had killed Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who have launched repeated drone and missile attacks on Israel since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, vowed to avenge his death.
Rahawi, who was appointed last year, was killed along with other officials during the attack Thursday, the rebels said.
Israel has been striking Houthi targets for months in response to the rebels' missile attacks, which they say are in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
"We announce the martyrdom of the fighter Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi... along with several of his ministerial colleagues, as they were targeted by the treacherous Israeli criminal enemy," a Houthi statement said.
"Others among their companions were injured with moderate to serious wounds and are receiving medical care since Thursday afternoon," it added.
On Thursday, Israeli forces had said they "struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target." Unsourced Yemeni media reports of Rahawi's death were not confirmed at the time.
But on Saturday, Israel's military said in a statement: "Among the senior officials present at the site during the strike was the Houthi Prime Minister, Ahmed Al-Rahawi, who was eliminated in the strike, along with additional senior officials."
The Houthis called Thursday's gathering "a routine workshop organized by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year."
The head of the rebels' supreme political council, Mehdi al-Mashat, vowed to avenge the killings.
"We promise to God, to the dear Yemeni people and the families of the martyrs and wounded that we will take revenge," Mashat said in a video message posted on Telegram.
He warned foreign companies to leave Israel "before it's too late."
United States-based Yemen analyst Mohammed Al Basha noted that previously, the Israelis had targeted infrastructure such as ports and power stations.