Israeli airstrike in Sanaa kills Houthi prime minister and senior ministers

Lede: An Israeli airstrike on Thursday, 28 August 2025, struck a gathering of Houthi officials in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, killing the Houthi prime minister, Ahmad (Ahmed) Ghaleb al-Rahawi, and a number of senior ministers and aides. Houthi authorities and multiple international news agencies report roughly a dozen senior figures were killed; the strike triggered mass funerals, vows of revenge from Houthi leaders, a Houthi missile attack on an Israeli-owned tanker in the Red Sea, and the forcible detention of United Nations personnel by Houthi forces.

What happened — the strike and immediate confirmation

On Thursday, 28 August, fighter jets struck compounds in and around Sanaa where a large number of senior Houthi officials had reportedly gathered to watch a televised speech by movement leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Israeli military and security sources said the operation deliberately targeted the group’s military and political leadership — including what Israeli officials described as the Houthi defence chief and other top figures — and described the strikes as the result of a complex intelligence-led operation. Houthi authorities later confirmed the death of their prime minister and said other senior ministers had been killed or wounded.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz publicly hailed the attack as “a crushing blow,” saying in televised remarks the operation was only “the beginning” of efforts to degrade the group’s capability to strike Israeli interests. Israeli statements said the strikes were in retaliation for a steady campaign of Houthi missile and drone attacks and assaults on shipping in the Red Sea that have been ongoing since the Gaza war began in 2023.

Victims and casualty figures

• Confirmed by Houthi authorities and reported by international outlets: Prime Minister Ahmad (Ahmed) Ghaleb al-Rahawi was killed. Houthi statements and on-the-ground reporting say several ministers — including those responsible for energy, foreign affairs and information — also died. Some reporting places the death toll among senior officials at about 12 (the prime minister plus roughly 11 other senior figures), though initial accounts varied and some outlets used more cautious language (“several ministers”). A number of other people were wounded in the attack.
• Why counts differ: In the immediate aftermath of strikes in conflict zones, casualty tallies and identifications are commonly revised as emergency services, movement authorities and independent reporters gain access; Houthi authorities released names of some of the dead while other confirmations are still being cross-checked by independent agencies. Reuters and AP both reported the prime minister’s death and multiple senior casualties; Reuters’s coverage of the subsequent funeral gave the figure of 12 senior officials killed.

The funeral, public reaction and Houthi leadership response

A mass funeral was held in Sanaa at one of the city’s major mosques (reported as Al-Saleh / Al-Shaab in different dispatches). Thousands attended; mourners chanted slogans denouncing Israel and the United States and pledged retaliation. The Houthi Supreme Political Council and senior leaders publicly vowed revenge and warned foreign and Israeli-linked commercial interests to leave. Deputy prime minister Mohammed (Muhammad) Miftah (named by the Houthi authorities) has been assigned to carry out prime ministerial duties.

Houthi Supreme Political Council head Mehdi (Mahdi) al-Mashat issued video statements and other Houthi spokespeople made public pledges that the movement would continue — and even intensify — attacks on Israeli targets in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Analysts quoted in the regional press say the targeting of senior leadership represents an escalation in Israel’s campaign against the Iran-aligned group.

Retaliation at sea and security consequences

Within days of the strike the Houthis announced and carried out a missile attack on an Israeli-owned tanker, the Scarlet Ray, in the Red Sea near Saudi waters. Shipping managers said the Liberian-flagged vessel was not damaged and the crew were safe, while maritime authorities reported the missile missed its target. The Houthis framed maritime attacks as part of their declared solidarity campaign with Palestinians and as retaliation for strikes on Houthi-held areas. The episode has renewed concerns about commercial shipping safety in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden — a corridor that handles vast volumes of global trade.

Israel said it was preparing for possible retaliatory strikes and boosted security measures at home and around senior Israeli officials, while international shipping insurers and commercial operators are expected to reassess transits through the southern Red Sea.

Detention of UN staff and humanitarian impact

In a separate but related escalation, Houthi forces raided United Nations premises in Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah on 31 August 2025, detaining at least 11 U.N. personnel and seizing U.N. property, according to UN statements and Reuters/AP reporting. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and the U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, strongly condemned the detentions and called for the immediate release of staff and for de-escalation. The raids further complicate an already perilous humanitarian picture in Yemen, where U.N. agencies deliver food, health and other lifesaving assistance to millions.

Humanitarian organizations warned that seizures of documents, detention of staff and constrained access will hamper relief operations in Houthi-held areas and could worsen civilian suffering. The UN’s public insistence on immediate release of detained staff reflects concern about the safety and independence of humanitarian workers in the field.

International reactions and diplomatic fallout

• Israel: Israeli defence and military officials publicly framed the strikes as a necessary response to Houthi attacks on Israel and Israel-linked shipping. Defence Minister Israel Katz described the operation as “a crushing blow” and indicated more such operations could follow. Israeli military spokespeople said the aim was to degrade the Houthis’ ability to project force into the Red Sea and against Israel.
• United Nations: The UN denounced the detention of its personnel and called for their immediate release; the UN Special Envoy for Yemen urged all parties to use diplomatic channels to prevent Yemen from becoming a wider battlefield.
• Other governments: Many governments and regional actors were reported as watching the situation closely; some western capitals have publicly urged restraint and protection of civilians and aid workers. (Formal, detailed public statements from the full range of governments were still rolling out at the time of reporting.)

At the time of filing there was no publicly available, independently verifiable evidence that the United States directly participated in the Sanaa strikes; public reporting attributes the operation to Israeli forces and Israeli security sources. (Washington’s posture toward Houthi strikes on shipping and toward Israel more broadly has shifted repeatedly during 2025, including separate U.S. military actions earlier in the year.)

Context — why Sanaa and why now

Since the October 2023 Israel-Hamas war, Yemen’s Houthi movement (also known as Ansar Allah) — which controls large parts of northern Yemen and Sanaa — has launched an intermittent campaign of missile, drone and small-boat attacks on vessels it deems linked to Israel or Western interests in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Those operations have periodically disrupted shipping, provoked U.S. and British strikes against Houthi military infrastructure, and drawn Israel into a pattern of tit-for-tat escalation. A U.S.-brokered pause with the Houthis in May 2025 addressed some attacks on commercial shipping but, crucially, did not bind the Houthis to refrain from actions aimed directly at Israel. In that environment, Israeli officials say they judged degradation of Houthi leadership to be a proportionate response aimed at stopping or deterring attacks on Israeli territory and shipping.

Near-term implications and what to watch

• Further Houthi strikes on Israel-linked shipping or assets: The group has publicly vowed revenge and has operational capability (missiles, drones and maritime weapons) that it has used repeatedly against shipping. Monitoring of merchant vessels and insurers’ routing advisories will be important in the coming days.
• Humanitarian access: Detentions and raids on U.N. premises could force further suspension of aid deliveries and imperil relief programs in a country already in humanitarian crisis. The UN is likely to press for immediate release of staff and secure access.
• Regional escalation risk: The attack marks one of the most significant cross-border operations in the spillover from the Gaza war; responses from Iran-aligned actors, regional governments and non-state groups will be closely watched for signs of wider escalation.
• Confirmation of casualties and identities: Independent verification of the full list of those killed may take time; expect Houthi releases and foreign checks to clarify numbers and names.

Key facts at a glance

The Israeli strike that killed Yemen’s Houthi prime minister and multiple senior officials represents one of the most consequential blows to the Houthis since the wider Israel–Hamas war began. It substantially raises the risk of a short-to-medium term escalation: more Houthi attacks on Israeli-linked shipping, tightened security and military posture by Israel and its partners, and deteriorating conditions for humanitarian operations inside Yemen after the detention of U.N. staff. Confirmation of the full casualty list, the fate of detained UN personnel, and the diplomatic reactions of major regional and global powers will determine whether this incident remains an acute localized escalation or becomes a broader regional crisis.