The London-based Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Tuesday on “confusion and panic” among the Houthis in Yemen following an Israeli strike that killed the prime minister along with several ministers.
According to the report, which has not been independently verified, political and military Houthi leaders have fled the capital, Sanaa, for fortified locations in other territories under their control.
Mass funeral for Houthi officials
Sources told the newspaper that senior Houthis—including Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, Abdul Karim al-Houthi, Abu Ali al-Hakim, and Ahmad Hamad—have been missing for several days. Dark buses were reportedly used to transport the families of top Houthi figures to the Amran and Saada provinces, indicating the leadership is aware that their commanders have become targets for Israeli strikes.
At the funeral for Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and other ministers, his replacement, Mohammed Maftah, attended. Asharq Al-Awsat quoted a source close to the Houthi decision-making circle saying the leadership instructed political, military, and field commanders to vacate their posts and homes in Sanaa and its suburbs, relocating to northern sites. The source emphasized avoiding government buildings and public areas that could be easy targets.
Witnesses told the paper that in the past three days, small convoys of vehicles and buses carrying families and Houthi overseers were seen leaving neighborhoods in central and northern Sanaa. Most of those leaving were reportedly security supervisors managing neighborhoods and districts, reflecting the group’s fear.
The Houthis have avoided releasing the exact number of casualties from the strike. Twelve coffins were seen at the funeral of the prime minister and other ministers, later carried in a mass procession resembling a military parade, signaling a show of strength despite the blow. The strike reportedly hit the group not only in losses but also through Israeli intelligence penetration of its senior ranks.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat, the mass Houthi exodus reflects the organization entering a new phase of conflict that threatens the survival of its political and military structures in Sanaa. Saudi Arabia, which owns the newspaper, is a longtime rival of the Houthis and fought them during Yemen’s civil war until a ceasefire was established.