“Death to America! Death to Israel!” — Israel Kills Houthi Prime Minister Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahawi
On August 29, 2025, an Israeli airstrike in Yemen killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahawi and several high-ranking officials, in what Israeli officials described as a major blow to the Iran-aligned militant group.
The strike targeted a villa in Beit Baws, a historic village in southern Sanaa, where top Houthi leaders had gathered to watch a televised speech by the group’s leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. Among those confirmed killed were the Houthi ministers of energy, foreign affairs, and information. The status of the defense minister remains unclear.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the operation, which was overseen by IDF Chief of Staff Gen. Eyal Zamir. Defense officials described the strike as the first successful Israeli operation to eliminate senior Houthi leadership, and possibly the entire Houthi cabinet, though Israeli intelligence has not confirmed the full death toll.
The airstrike came days after Houthi forces launched drones and a ballistic missile at Israel, the latest in a series of attacks since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict. The Houthis have escalated their activity in the region, targeting Israeli territory and commercial shipping in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians. Between late 2023 and mid-2025, the group attacked over 100 ships, sinking two and killing multiple sailors.
Al-Rahawi, appointed in August 2024, was a veteran politician with ties to Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Though affiliated with the Houthis, he was largely viewed as a figurehead with limited influence over military strategy. He previously survived several assassination attempts, including a 2015 attack by al-Qaeda that destroyed his home.
Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Miftah has reportedly been named acting leader in the wake of al-Rahawi’s death.
The Houthi movement, backed by Iran, is part of a broader network of militant groups known as the “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iraqi militias, all supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC’s Quds Force has supplied training, weapons, and financial aid to these groups across the region.
Since 2011, Iran has steadily increased its support for the Houthis, particularly after the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen began in 2015. U.S. and allied forces have intercepted several Iranian arms shipments to the Houthis, including missiles, drones, and other weaponry. Tehran has also trained thousands of Houthi fighters, some at IRGC bases inside Iran.
The Houthis’ long-standing slogan—“Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory for Islam”—has drawn widespread condemnation and contributed to their re-designation by the U.S. as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in early 2025.
Following the strike, Houthi officials confirmed the deaths and vowed retaliation, pledging to continue their campaign against Israel. However, despite intensified efforts since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks in 2023, the group has inflicted limited damage on Israeli or U.S. targets.
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