Yemen: Mass funeral held for Houthi leaders killed by Israel

A mass public funeral was held in the biggest mosque in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, for 12 senior Houthi officials such as their prime minister,  who were all killed in a strike from Israel, according to Reuters on September 1st. 

The August 28th Israeli airstrike was the first to kill any top Houthi officials. The strike hit people who had gathered to watch a televised speech which was recorded by the Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, killing many members of the group’s cabinet. It was also revealed that Prime Minister Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahwi had been killed. 

Mourners at Al Saleh mosque chanted the Houthi political slogan “God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.” Acting leader Mohammed Miftah appeared to accuse Israel, the US and regional allies of orchestrating the attack. Miftah also vowed revenge and a security crackdown targeting suspected spies. 

Miftah became acting head of the Houthi government on August 30th after Prime Minister al-Rahwi was killed in the Israeli strike. The late former prime minister was seen as mainly a figurehead and not a feature of the inner circle of authority. 

The funeral follows a raid on UN offices in Sanaa by the Houthis, who detained 11 UN staff on August 31st. Despite no official reason given for the raid, the group has held other employees of the UN and other organisations in the past for allegedly spying.

The Houthis also claimed responsibility for a missile strike on the Israeli-owned tanker ‘Scarlet Ray’ near Saudi Arabia’s port city of Yanbu, in line with the movement’s campaign of attacking vessels in the Red Sea. The conflict between Israel and the Houthis is one of the many clashes that have grown from the war in Gaza, with the group explicitly framing their actions as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Israeli announced on August 29th that airstrikes were aimed at the chief of staff and defence minister of the Houthis, along with other high-ranking officials. They stated that they are in the process of assessing the results. 

The state of the Houthis’ Defence Minister, Mohamed al-Atifi, who leads the Missiles Brigades Group, is uncertain, as he has not been seen following the attack. 

Al-Houthi, the Houthis’ top leader, is currently alive and has become one of Iran’s most significant Arab allies and continues to pose a persistent challenge to Israel, despite Israel’s efforts to weaken several of its regional adversaries, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. 

In May, US President Donald Trump suspended a seven-week bombing campaign on the Houthis after they pledged to protect vital shipping lanes. However, the Houthis, have vowed to intensify their assaults on Israel, especially after the recent killing of members of their political leadership. 

Reuters, Maghrebi.org