[Global Times special correspondent in Israel Zhang Hao, Global Times special correspondent Sun Boyan] Yemen's Houthi armed forces issued a statement on August 30 local time, saying that Ahmed Rahawi, head of the organization's administrative branch, and several colleagues were killed on August 28 in an Israeli air strike on Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, and many others were injured. According to Mahsira TV, which is controlled by the Houthis, the Houthis have appointed Mohammed Mifta, deputy director of the administration, to replace Rahawi as the person in charge.
Qatar's Al Jazeera reported that Israel's August 28 attack on Sana'a came amid continued escalating tensions in the Middle East, against the backdrop of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
Mahdi Masaat, chairman of the Supreme Political Council of the Houthi armed forces, delivered a speech on August 30, saying that he would continue to support the Palestinian people and once again warned people around the world to stay away from Israel and all foreign companies still operating in Israel to withdraw as soon as possible."Israelis will usher in their dark times." Mashat said in a televised speech broadcast on Mashira TV that he would soon launch a revenge counterattack.
According to the "Times of Israel" report, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed the killing of Rahavi late on August 30, and said that they also killed some senior Houthi officials and other officials of the group's political leadership, but did not disclose the identities of these people. The Israeli side said on the 29th that the Houthi defense "minister" was one of the main targets of the air strike on the 28th, and whether he died still needs to be further verified. Israel's Channel 12 TV also said on the 29th that the Israeli army assessed that 12 Houthi "ministerial officials", including Rahavi, may have died in the air strike, but this assessment has yet to be finally confirmed.
The Times of Israel also stated that Israel's operation benefited from intelligence gathering and air superiority. According to Israeli sources, a large number of senior Houthi armed officials gathered on the 28th to watch the televised speech of the leader of the organization, Abdul Malik Houthi. The Israeli intelligence department provided details of the rally to ensure that the Israeli army broke through the area. Strict air defense measures were implemented in the area and strikes were successfully carried out.
On August 30, at the Israeli army's assessment meeting on continued actions in the Middle East, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Zamir stated that the Houthi armed forces are Iran's "terrorist branch" that continues to attack Israel and threaten regional and international stability. Israel's attitude is that it will never tolerate this.
On the same evening, Israeli Defense Minister Katz issued a further warning that "the fate of Yemen is the fate of Tehran, and this is just the beginning." Katz said that the Israeli army had carried out an unprecedented blow against the military and political leadership of the Houthis, and that anyone who threatened and harmed Israel would be redoubled.
Israel has said it will "continue to strike targets related to the Houthi armed forces, which means that anything that could be used by the armed group for military or political purposes" will be targeted by the Israeli military.
Israel is also stepping up security alert in response to possible retaliation by the Houthis. Israel's Jerusalem Post reported on August 31 that the Israeli army is preparing for any situation that may occur. The report mentioned that the Houthis have the ability to independently produce missiles and drones. Although the organization does not have a large arsenal and the number of missile launchers it has is not clear, the Israeli army believes that the Houthis will continue to threaten Israel's security and pose a challenge to Israel's air defense system.
Israel's "Haaretz" commented on August 31 that many people believe that the Houthi armed forces will not have much effect in launching missiles at Israel, but continuous missile attacks will slowly consume the number of Israel's interceptor missiles. In addition, the Houthis began firing missiles with cluster bombs, which made interception more difficult. Houthi armed missiles continue to target Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. As long as they succeed once, even if shrapnel falls on the airport runway, it will endanger the safety of international flights to Israel. At present, Israel has not completely recovered from the "12-day War" with Iran.