Thousands gathered at Yemen’s largest mosque in the city of Sanaa on Monday for the funeral of the prime minister of Houthi-run Yemen and several senior Houthi leaders killed by an Israeli air strike.
The Houthis announced on Saturday that Israel had targeted and killed their prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, and several other officials in attacks on Thursday in violation of international law, as killing a foreign leader is illegal.
Rahawi had served as prime minister of the Houthi-led government in Sanaa since August 2024.
The Houthis said in a statement on Saturday that Rahawi and the ministers were targeted during a routine government workshop assessing their performance.
Despite the attack, the presidency insisted that the government would continue to function without disruption.
“We remain steadfast in supporting Gaza,” the statement added.
The Houthis and Israel have exchanged attacks since the Yemeni movement began firing missiles and drones at Israel for what they say is solidarity with Palestinians living under Israel’s war on Gaza, which has been called a genocide by international rights bodies and scholars worldwide.
Israeli and US strikes have killed almost 300 Yemeni civilians and wounded almost 900 others. Meanwhile, Houthi strikes have led to the deaths of two Israelis, and injured almost 200 others.
