In the wake of Thursday’s Israeli strike that killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and several ministers, the United Nations announced Sunday that Houthi forces stormed its facilities in the capital, Sanaa, and in Hodeidah — and arrested at least 11 staff members.
“At least 11 U.N. staff members have been detained,” said UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg. He condemned the “new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel carried out yesterday in Sanaa and Hodeidah by Ansar Allah (the Houthis’ official name),” as well as “the raids on U.N. premises and seizure of UN property.”
Meanwhile, Houthi Chief of Staff Abdul Karim al-Ghamari — also targeted in the strikes but reportedly only wounded — threatened Israel in a statement released by senior Houthi officials.
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Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Al-Rahawi was killed in the Israeli strike
(Photos: Mohammed Huwais / AFP)
“The Zionist enemy must know that with this heinous crime, it has opened upon itself the gates of hell,” he said. “The response of our armed forces will be harsh and painful, through effective and influential strategic choices. We promise our leadership and our people that we continue to develop our strategic military capabilities in both quantity and quality. Soon you will hear and see what will delight your eyes and heal your hearts. The tables will turn against the aggressor.”
Al-Ghamari also addressed Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, senior officials and the families of those killed. “They were martyred for God and for their homeland, standing firm, acting sincerely and devotedly until their final moments,” he said. “This heinous crime will not deter us from our firm stance in support of our brothers in Gaza and Palestine as a whole. It will only increase our resolve until the aggression ends and the blockade on Gaza is lifted.”
At the same time, Britain’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported an attack on a vessel about 74 kilometers southwest of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. British maritime security firm Ambrey said the vessel was “Israeli-owned,” sailing under a Liberian flag, and “matched the profile of Houthi targets in Yemen.” According to UKMTO, the ship reported “a splash nearby due to unknown fire and a loud explosion.” The crew was safe and the ship continued to its next destination.
Sanaa remains shaken after the powerful Israeli strike three days earlier. “To target a ministers’ meeting with missiles is both cowardly and brutal,” one city resident told AFP. Referring to celebrations among Yemenis opposed to the Houthis, he added: “I am shocked that some people celebrate such violence. Despite our differences, we were all born in the same country.” Another resident, Ali, said it was “a blatant attack on the sovereignty of an entire country.”
The Houthi presidency confirmed Saturday that Prime Minister al-Rahawi was killed along with “a number of ministers,” but did not release their names. Arab media outlets, however, reported details based on sources.
Yemen’s al-Jumhuriya channel reported that among the dead were Minister of Economy, Industry and Investment Moin al-Mahakri; Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs Jalal al-Ruwaishan; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration Mohammed Hassan al-Madani; and Deputy Interior Minister Abdel-Majid al-Murtada. Yemeni outlet Defense Line, which opposes the Houthis, said Health Minister Ali Abdel Karim Ali Shiban also died of wounds sustained in Thursday’s strikes.
Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya reported the deaths of the Houthi prime minister’s chief of staff Mohammed al-Kubsi, Social Affairs and Labor Minister Samir Bajala, Justice Minister Mujahid Ahmed Abdullah, and Youth and Sports Minister. Defense Line also reported the killing of Transport Minister Mohammed Ayash Mohammed Kouhim.
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Houthi Chief of Staff Abdul Karim al-Ghamari — also targeted in the strikes but reportedly only wounded
The site added that Houthi Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser al-Atifi was seriously wounded, while al-Ghamari was injured outside Sanaa. Saudi TV channel Al-Hadath, citing sources, reported that only four ministers remain in the Houthi government.
Israeli officials estimate that in addition to the Houthi prime minister — whose killing was confirmed by Iran-backed officials in Yemen — the strike eliminated the head of the political bureau, the cabinet secretary, the government secretary, the justice minister, the economy and commerce minister, the foreign minister, the agriculture minister and the information minister.
Following the confirmation of al-Rahawi’s death, Yemen announced that his deputy, Mohammed Ahmed Muftah, was appointed in his place. Muftah is considered a prominent religious and political figure within the Houthis and one of the group’s founding hardline leaders.
Muftah previously served as a judge in a rural area of Sanaa, using the position to assist Houthi operations and strengthen his role in the movement. According to Yemeni site al-Mashhad, he was even imprisoned in the past for working on the Houthis’ behalf while serving as a judge. Reports claim he effectively acted as the Houthis’ prime minister, while al-Rahawi’s role was largely symbolic. He also held roles in political parties supporting the Houthis before the coup in Yemen and represented a strong Houthi voice in political and human rights activities.
Attack on Sanaa that killed Houti ministers
(Video: Shira Keinan, Ministry of Defense)
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Saturday that Thursday’s strike targeted “a facility where senior military officials and other leaders of the Houthi terror regime were gathered in the Sanaa area,” carried out by Air Force fighter jets with intelligence guidance. “The facility hosted officials responsible for force deployment, the military buildup of the Houthi terror regime, and advancing terrorist operations against Israel, in addition to Houthi officials in other key roles,” the military said.
The IDF spokesman added: “The strike was enabled by exploiting an intelligence opportunity and closing an operational cycle within a few hours. The assessment of the results is ongoing, including verifying the presence of additional senior military commanders.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also addressed the strike Saturday, calling it “an unprecedented knockout blow against the senior-most figures of the Houthi security-political leadership in Yemen, in a daring and brilliant operation by the IDF.”
He added: “I warned that after the strike of darkness would come the strike of the firstborns, and now we have carried out that warning. The fate of Yemen is the fate of Tehran — and this is only the beginning. The Houthis will learn the hard way that whoever threatens and harms Israel will be hit sevenfold — and they will not decide when it ends.”