Houthi-controlled Yemeni prime minister perishes in Israeli air assault
In a televised speech on Saturday, Mahdi al-Mashat, the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, vowed that the group's stance remains unchanged and they will take revenge following an Israeli airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen.
The airstrike, which took place on Thursday, targeted various locations where a large number of senior Houthi officials had gathered to watch a recorded speech by leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi. Among those killed was the Prime Minister of Yemen's Houthi-run government, Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi.
Defence Minister Mohamed al-Atifi of the Houthis, who runs the Houthis' Missiles Brigade Group and is considered their leading missiles expert, issued a statement stating that the group is ready to confront Israel. However, it is unclear if the statement was made before or after the airstrike. The Houthi-run news agency Saba ran a statement from Defence Minister Mohamed al-Atifi after the prime minister's death was confirmed.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the strike as "a crushing blow" against the Houthis and added that "this is only the beginning." The outcome of the airstrike is being verified by Israel. Sources confirmed that the energy, foreign, and information ministers were among those killed in the airstrike, along with several other ministers.
The Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea and firing missiles towards Israel since Israel's war in Gaza against Hamas began in October 2023. A number of others were wounded in Thursday's strike, according to Mahdi al-Mashat.
Following the prime minister's death, Mohammed Miftah was assigned to carry out the prime minister's duties. In his speech, Mahdi al-Mashat stated that the group's stance remains unchanged and they will take revenge.
Israel has carried out a series of assassinations targeting senior leaders and commanders of Hamas and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah over the last year. Yemen has been split between a Houthi administration in Sanaa and a Saudi-backed government in Aden since late 2014.
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