Yemen’s Houthi movement has announced that its military chief of staff, Major General Mohammed al-Ghamari, has been killed alongside his teenage son in what it described as an “honourable battle against the Israeli enemy.” The Mohammed al-Ghamari killed report comes amid growing tensions following a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting Houthi leaders in Yemen.
Mohammed al-Ghamari killed in Israeli airstrike
According to the Houthis, Al-Ghamari died in an Israeli attack on the capital, Sanaa. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that he had “died of wounds” sustained in the late August strike, which also killed the Houthi government’s prime minister and other top officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the operation, saying, “We will reach all of them,” referring to what he called “terror chiefs.”
The Houthis, backed by Iran, have controlled much of northwestern Yemen for nearly a decade. Since October 2023, the group has launched drone and missile attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping, claiming solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza conflict.
Escalating Yemen-Israel confrontation
In a defiant statement, the Houthis described Al-Ghamari’s death as a “source of pride” and vowed revenge, warning that “the rounds of conflict with the enemy have not ended.” They accused Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom of committing “criminal aggression” against Yemen over the past two years.
Israel’s Defence Minister reacted on X, declaring that Ghamari had joined his “comrades of the Axis of Evil in the depths of hell.” He added that Israel would continue eliminating any threats from the Houthis or their allies.
No recent Houthi attacks
Since Israel’s recent ceasefire with Hamas, the Israeli military has not reported any new drone or missile attacks from the Houthis. However, the group’s leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, warned that their forces remain ready to act if Israel violates the truce.
The death of Mohammed al-Ghamari underscores the widening regional dimensions of the Gaza war, with Yemen now firmly entangled in Israel’s broader campaign against Iran-backed militias.
