Houthi prime minister killed in Israeli airstrike on Yemen capital

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen said Saturday that an Israeli airstrike earlier this week killed the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa along with other Houthi officials, according to media reports.

Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was the most senior Houthi official killed in the Israeli-U.S. campaign against the Iran-backed rebels.

Al-Rahawi was killed along with a number of ministers in an airstrike on Sanaa on Thursday, the rebels said in a statement. Other ministers and officials were wounded, the statement said without providing further details.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that it had attacked a Houthi “military target” in the Sanaa area, giving no further details.

The Associated Press reported that Thursday’s Israeli strike occurred as the rebels-owned television station was broadcasting a speech by Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the secretive leader of the rebel group where he was sharing updates on the latest Gaza developments and vowing retaliation against Israel.