Who was Ahmed al-Rahawi? Houthi rebel prime minister killed in Israeli airstrike in Yemen’s Sanaa

According to the Israeli military‘s statement on 28 August, it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen”.

The rebels’ statement stated Al-Rahawi, who had been the prime minister of the Houthi-led government since August 2024, was attacked alongside other officials from his government during a regular workshop aimed at assessing the activities and performance of the administration over the previous year.

In May, the Trump administration announced an agreement with the Houthis to stop airstrikes in exchange for halting attacks on shipping. However, the rebels clarified that the deal did not cover halting attacks on targets they viewed as connected to Israel.

Who was Ahmed al-Rahawi?

Ahmed al-Rahawi was the prime minister of the Houthi-led government from 10 August 2024. He was a part of General People’s Congress party and earlier worked on the Supreme Political Council.

Al-Rahawi’s father, Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, was a prominent political figure who was killed in the 1970s. Al-Rahawi himself became involved in politics, serving in various key positions from 2000 to 2015, such as the director general and chairman of the Local Council of Khanfar District, deputy governor of Al Mahwit Governorate, and deputy governor of Abyan Governorate.

He became the governor of Abyan Governorate and, in 2019, was appointed to the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council, the governing body for Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. Al-Rahawi frequently lauded resistance groups in the Middle East, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, depicting them as emblematic of resistance against what he referred to as the “Zionist enemy”.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple locations in Sanaa, killing at least 10 people and injuring 102, according to the Houthi-run health ministry and local officials, PTI reported.

The Houthis have been launching missiles and drones at Israel and attacking ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians during Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

In retaliation, Israel, along with a US-led coalition, launched strikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen, comprising Sanaa and the strategic port city of Hodeida. Israeli bombings had already rendered Sanaa’s airport nonoperational back in May.