Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi, seen as a figurehead PM, is replaced by deputy Mohamed Moftah to lead Houthi government duties
\n SANAA
\nThe prime minister of Yemen\u2019s 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.
\nA number of others were wounded in Thursday\u2019s strike, it said, without providing details.Prime minister of Yemen\u2019s Houthi government killed in Israeli strike.
\nIsrael said on Friday that the airstrike had targeted the Iran-aligned group\u2019s chief of staff, defence minister and other senior officials and that it was verifying the outcome.
\nMashat\u2019s statement did not make clear whether the Houthi defence minister was among the casualties.
\nThe Houthi-run news agency ran a statement from the defence minister shortly after it confirmed the prime minister\u2019s death and quoted him as saying the group was ready to confront Israel.
\nThe statement did not mention Thursday\u2019s airstrike and it was unclear if it was made before or after the attack.
\nAhmad 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\u2019s duties.
\nRahwi was seen largely as a figurehead who was not part of the inner circle of the Houthi leadership.
\nDefence minister Mohamed al-Atifi runs the Houthi\u2019s Missiles Brigade Group and is considered their leading missiles expert.
\nThe 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 \u201ccomplex operation\u201d made possible by intelligence-gathering and air superiority.
\nOn Thursday, Israeli security sources had 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.
\nSince Israel\u2019s war in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
\nThey have also frequently fired missiles towards Israel, most of which have been intercepted. Israel has responded with strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port.
\nDuring the last year, Israel carried out a series of assassinations of the top leaders and commanders of Hamas and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah that significantly weakened the two groups.
\n\u201cWe remain steadfast in our genuine position of supporting and standing with the people of Gaza, and in building and developing the capabilities of our armed forces to confront all challenges and dangers,\u201d Mahdi al-Mashat\u2019s statement said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi, seen as a figurehead PM, is replaced by deputy Mohamed Moftah to lead Houthi government duties SANAA The prime minister of Yemen\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":500313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-500290","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n