Israeli strike in Yemen takes out Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi

The Houthis reported the death of their prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, during an Israeli bombing in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. The Iran-backed rebel group confirmed the news through a statement, in which they also specified that other high-ranking officials lost their lives in the attack. It is not known if Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, supreme leader of the group that the U.S. has listed as a terrorist organization, was present at the time of the impacts.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported Thursday that it had struck a "military target of the Houthi terrorist regime" in the capital. "An Israeli strike in Yemen killed the Houthi prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi," they added.

Al-Rahawi's death was confirmed by the Houthis in a statement, in which they also reported that other ministers and officials were wounded. The group receives military, financial and technological support from Iran.

Al-Rahawi had been appointed prime minister last year. Prior to that position, he was a member of the Supreme Political Council, created in 2015.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and unleashed a war that continues to this day, the Houthis in Yemen have supported the terrorist group in its crusade. Since then, they have attacked vessels in the Red Sea, causing some major companies to be forced to divert their commercial vessels. Its most important control is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea passage to the Suez Canal.

This situation forces ships to bypass that faster route and instead go around Africa, adding at least two extra weeks of sailing.