Sanaa — Yemen’s Houthi-led authorities have vowed swift retaliation against Israel following the assassination of their prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, in an Israeli airstrike that struck the capital, Sanaa, late this week. The targeted attack, which also killed several ministers and senior officials, has plunged the already fractured nation deeper into turmoil and sparked fierce vows of revenge against Tel Aviv.
The Houthis, who have steadily expanded their influence across Yemen despite a decade of war, described the strike as an act of “treachery” that would not go unanswered. The killing of al-Rahawi, long considered one of the central figures in the movement’s political leadership, has rattled the group but also hardened its resolve. His death marks the first time Israel has directly targeted a sitting Yemeni prime minister, signaling a dangerous escalation that risks igniting broader regional conflict.
Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, declared in a televised address that Israel would face “dark days” in retribution for the strike. “Our revenge is definite and cannot be postponed,” he said, a warning that analysts interpret as a clear signal of imminent military or asymmetric retaliation.
The group has previously targeted shipping lanes in the Red Sea, disrupted oil flows, and launched long-range strikes on adversaries in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, raising fears that similar operations could now be directed at Israeli targets.
The assassination comes at a moment of shifting regional alignments, with Iran-backed factions asserting greater influence and the United States visibly entangled in its unflinching support for Israel’s war strategies and ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. For the Houthis, the strike is not only a political loss but also an opportunity to position themselves as part of the broader resistance front that includes Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Regional observers note that the timing of the assassination could have been calculated to undercut the Houthis’ growing prominence as a key anti-Western force. Yet the group’s decentralized leadership model means that the loss of one leader, however prominent, is unlikely to cripple their operations. Instead, the killing may serve as a rallying cry to escalate attacks on Israeli and Western-linked interests, from maritime trade routes to diplomatic facilities.
Analysts warn that the Red Sea, a critical artery for global commerce, could soon see intensified hostilities if the Houthis follow through on their threats. With shipping companies already diverting vessels to avoid Houthi-controlled waters, a protracted confrontation could disrupt global supply chains and energy flows, underscoring the wider costs of Israel’s aggressive expansion of its battlefield.
The international reaction has been muted, with most Western governments silent or issuing carefully worded statements that avoided directly condemning Israel. Critics argue that this silence once again reflects the double standard applied by Washington and its allies, who justify targeted killings abroad under the guise of “self-defense” while denouncing resistance groups for similar tactics.
According to Mehr News, Mahdi al-Mashat’s televised warning described the strike as an “evil action” and promised that Yemen’s retaliation would be both inevitable and decisive, underscoring that the assassination of Prime Minister al-Rahawi had crossed a line that Israel would come to regret.
