Yemeni media outlets citing sources are reporting that Ahmed al-Rahawi, the Houthi-backed Prime Minister of Yemen, was killed in an ‘Israeli’ airstrike in the capital city of Sanaa on Thursday, along with several of his associates.

 

Neither the Houthi movement nor the ‘Israeli’ military has officially confirmed the assassination

 

The initial reports emerged from anti-Houthi Yemeni media outlets such as the channel Al-Jumhuriya and the newspaper Aden al-Ghad.

 

The claims were quickly picked up by Hebrew media, although ‘Israeli’ officials have been cautious, with one ‘Israeli’ Air Force official stating, "We estimate that we succeeded" in a strike targeting senior Houthi figures, without naming al-Rahawi specifically.

 

Houthi officials, for their part, have denied reports in Hebrew media that a strike had successfully targeted their leaders.

 

The reported assassination occurred during a live televised speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, though the speech was not interrupted.

 

The strike on al-Rahawi’s reported location was a separate and more precise operation than the widespread ‘Israeli’ airstrikes that hit Sanaa just days earlier, on Sunday, which targeted civilian infrastructure like power plants and an oil company.

 

This latest military action came after the Houthis launched a new type of cluster munition missile toward ‘Israel’.

 

An ‘Israeli’ official described the weapon as a "new threat" that makes interception more difficult and is evidence of "additional technology provided to the Houthis by Iran".

 

While al-Rahawi held a high-profile position, his role was described as "primarily administrative, rather than military or political".

 

His government is not internationally recognized, with the legitimate government based in Aden.

 

The Houthis, who are a key component of Iran's "axis of resistance," have been engaged in a campaign against ‘Israel’ and ‘Israel’-linked ships in the Red Sea for over 22 months in solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip.