Israel killed the prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi-run government and other ministers in a major blow to the Iranian-backed, U.S.-designated terror group. The strike was the second attack since the Houthis lobbed a “bomblet” that included cluster bombs more than a week ago, according to reports.
Reuters reported that Yemen’s energy, foreign, and information ministers were also among those killed.
On Monday, the Houthis held a funeral for Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi and 11 other senior officials killed in an Israeli strike. Israel conducted the precise strikes in the capital Sanaa on Thursday after obtaining intelligence that Houthi officials were gathering to watch a televised speech by their leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. According to reports, Israeli intelligence had learned about the gathering earlier that day.
The Houthis responded by vowing to continue their “noble stance of supporting and aiding the people of Gaza,” The Telegraph reported.
Reports indicate this was the second attack since an Aug. 22 Houthi strike that included a new multi-headed weapon that “most likely contained several sub-munitions which were intended to be detonated upon impact.” The new missile “was composed of submunitions: three warheads … alongside another component in the warhead consisting of dozens of cluster bombs that disperse upon impact with the target.” Due to the multiple heads, it is much more difficult to intercept. An Israeli Air Force official said that normally it takes two interceptors to destroy a ballistic missile. But “in the case of a missile with a separable warhead, Israel would need to launch approximately eight interceptors to destroy an Iranian warhead that has split.”
The first of the two Israeli attacks after the cluster bomblet targeted a military complex housing, the presidential palace, a fuel depot, and power stations, reports say. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after that strike:
Anyone who attacks us — we attack them. Anyone planning to attack us — we attack them. I believe the entire region is learning the power and determination of the State of Israel.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “For every missile they launch at Israel, the Houthis will pay many times over.”
The Houthis have controlled major parts of Yemen for about 10 years. They have also attacked or targeted commercial and U.S. ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden — which triggered an American military response back in March — and have served as a major source of aggravation to Israel since Hamas’ October 7 attack. Some estimates say the Houthis have launched more than 200 ballistic missiles and more than 100 drones at Israel since. And even within parts of Yemen, they are unpopular; past anti-Houthi protests in Yemen have drawn thousands of people.