By Peter Omopo
30th August 2025
The Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen on Saturday announced the death of its prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi, in an Israeli airstrike that also killed several senior officials.
Al-Rahawi, appointed in 2024, is the most senior Houthi official reported to have been killed since Israel launched a series of strikes beyond Gaza amid the ongoing war.
“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,” the Houthis said in a statement.
The group added that others in the convoy sustained injuries ranging from moderate to severe and were receiving medical treatment following the Thursday afternoon strike.
The Israeli military had earlier confirmed striking “a Houthi terrorist regime military target” in the area of Sanaa, the Yemeni capital controlled by the group.
The Houthis, who have declared solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza conflict, have repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks against Israel and targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which they claim are linked to Israel.
The rebels, who seized control of much of northern Yemen in 2014, are aligned with Iran in what they call a regional “axis of resistance” against Israel and its allies.
Al-Rahawi’s killing marks a significant escalation in Israel’s confrontation with the Houthis, adding a new layer of volatility to a region already reeling from the war in Gaza and broader Middle East tensions.
