Houthi military chief of staff Muhammad Al-Ghamari was at a khat-leaf-chewing gathering when an Israeli strike targeted him over the weekend, Hebrew media reported Wednesday.

While some Hebrew media reports initially said Saturday that Al-Ghamari was believed to have been meeting with other Houthi leaders at the time of the strike, the Kan public broadcaster reported Wednesday evening that he was attending a social gathering for taking the drug.

Kan reported that the defense establishment received word that the Houthi military chief had been seriously injured in the strike and the attempted assassination had ultimately failed.

The IDF did not comment on the report.

While khat is illegal in several countries — including Germany, France, the Netherlands, the US, and Canada — it is frequently used around the Middle East, including in Israel by the country’s Yemenite and Ethiopian communities.

Khat leaves contain two amphetamines, cathinone and cathine. Among the positive effects are a sense of euphoria, increased alertness, and relief from fatigue. However, they also present several health risks, including depression, irritability, increased blood pressure and heart rate, loss of appetite, and insomnia.

It is considered a “drug of abuse” by the World Health Organization.

According to the Ynet news site, the Houthis set up roadblocks in the area after the incident, and ambulances were called.

It cited a source in Yemen as saying that Al-Ghamari, trained in Iran, had coordinated between the Houthis and Iran, and overseen the Houthis’ missile program.

The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas massacre.

They held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July, prompting Israel’s first strike in Yemen.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched some 50 ballistic missiles and at least a dozen drones at Israel.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.