Israel’s military believes most, and possibly all, members of the Houthi-run cabinet were killed in air strikes on Thursday, 28 August, in and around the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, according to Israeli media briefings.
The assessment remains provisional. Yemen’s Houthi authorities have confirmed that their prime minister, Ahmed (Ahmad) al-Rahawi, was killed alongside several ministers. Funerals in Sanaa on Monday drew thousands.
Reports indicate two related strikes. Yemeni outlets and Israeli broadcasters said one attack hit an apartment in Sanaa where Mr al-Rahawi was present, while a separate strike targeted a gathering of senior ministers outside the capital who had assembled to hear a speech by the movement’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said real-time intelligence enabled the operation despite heavy air defences.
The IDF has said it targeted the group’s defence minister, Muhammad Nasser al-Atifi (also rendered al-Attafi), and chief of staff, Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, but has not publicly confirmed their fate. Israeli television channels have suggested that the two men were likely at the site of the ministers’ gathering shortly before the strike. In June, Mr al-Ghamari was reported to have been seriously wounded in a separate Israeli attack.
Channel 12 in Israel reported that the IDF believes the entire Houthi cabinet, including the prime minister and 12 other ministers, was probably killed, while other outlets said the outcome was still being verified. Reuters has since reported mass funerals in Sanaa for 12 senior figures, including Mr al-Rahawi.
Houthi officials have pledged retaliation and framed the strikes as attacks on civilian targets. On Monday, the group said it fired a missile at the Liberian-flagged tanker Scarlet Ray in the Red Sea; maritime authorities said the vessel was not hit. The raids have coincided with detentions of United Nations staff in Houthi-controlled areas following security sweeps of UN premises.
Israel began striking Houthi targets in Yemen in late 2024 and has conducted repeated operations this year. In May, Israeli jets disabled Sanaa International Airport following Houthi missile launches towards Israel, according to official statements. Washington announced in May a pause in its Yemen campaign in exchange for assurances on Red Sea shipping, but the Houthis said any arrangement did not constrain attacks on Israel-linked targets.
Since the Gaza war escalated in 2023, the Houthis have launched missiles and drones at Israel and struck or threatened shipping they deem connected to Israel. Israel and a United States-led coalition have responded with bombardments on Houthi-held areas including Sanaa and Hodeida. Thursday’s attack was the first to claim the lives of top Houthi officials, according to Yemeni and international reports.
The killing of Mr al-Rahawi removes the most senior official publicly identified with the Houthi administration since Israel began targeting sites in Yemen. Reuters reports that Mohammed Miftah, previously deputy prime minister, has assumed day-to-day leadership, and that Abdul-Malik al-Houthi remains alive. The fate of Mr al-Atifi is unclear; he has not appeared in public since the strikes.
Israel describes the Houthis as an Iranian-backed force whose actions threaten regional and international trade. IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir said on Friday that there would be “no tolerance” for further attacks. Israeli media, citing officials, said the latest operation followed real-time tracking of the ministers’ meeting during Abdul-Malik al-Houthi’s televised address.
Israeli reports characterised Thursday’s action as a departure from earlier raids that focused on infrastructure and launch sites. The Times of Israel said it was the sixteenth Israeli strike on Houthi targets in Yemen, at a range of about 1,800 kilometres. Those figures could not be independently verified. The same outlet noted that Mr al-Ghamari was reportedly wounded in June during Israel’s brief confrontation with Iran.
As of Monday, casualty figures and the status of several targeted individuals remained contested. Israel says it is still assessing the full outcome of the operation, while Houthi media and regional outlets have issued conflicting accounts of which senior figures were present at the sites. The broad picture points to a significant strike on the group’s leadership since hostilities widened beyond Gaza in recent months.
