Houthi commanders gathered to watch their leader on TV. Then the bombs fell

After watching the top leadership of the Houthi rebel group for weeks, the Israelis struck with a massive air raid, reportedly killing at least three of the most senior political and military leaders.

The strikes on Sanaa targeted the Houthis' military and political leadership. Picture: Reuters.

Ten of the most senior political and military commanders of Yemen’s rebel Houthi group had just settled in their chairs in an apartment in the capital, ready to watch their leader address the country on television, when disaster struck, in the shape of a series of massive bombs.

The commanders, most of whom are now believed assassinated, were the victims of a well-planned operation by the Israeli Defence Forces, which had been watching the leadership of the Iran-backed militant group for weeks, waiting for their opportunity.

The aim of the operation – codenamed ‘Operation Drop of Luck’ – was to wipe out the entire military and political leadership of Iran’s last proxy in the region.

While nothing has been confirmed, it looks to have succeeded. Israeli media reports that Jerusalem is increasingly confident the strikes wiped out the top echelons of the organisation, striking a devastating blow not only at the Houthis but at their backers in Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards.

After an attack earlier in the week was called off, the IDF was told on Thursday night (local time) that the usually elusive leadership was gathering in a home in Sanaa to watch Abdel Malek al-Houthi’s speech.

Almost immediately the Israeli Air Force launched their raid, reportedly turning off transponders so the jets couldn’t be traced as they entered Yemen airspace.

Muhammad Abd Al-Karim Al-Ghamri (R) is thought to have been killed in the strike. Picture: Supplied.

Underlining the importance of the attack - and optimism about its success - Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Eyal Zamir monitored the strike from IDF headquarters, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following from a secure “red phone.”

A military source told Israel’s state broadcaster Kan TV the attacks targeted several locations, while the Saudi-owned Al-Hadath TV channel reported the attacks targeted houses where senior Houthi officials were in hiding.

The Reuters news agency reported – citing Yemeni military sources – that the attacks were aimed at the presidential compound in the capital, Sanaa, which contains an “operations room” and a missile storage facility,

Multiple reports from Yemen media claimed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed a-Rahavi died in the dramatic strike. Yemen’s Yemeni Al-Jumhuriya TV first reported his death, with the Adan al-Grad newspaper reporting a-Rahavi died “alongside several of his companions” as they watched the address.

Israeli media reported it was likely that the Houthis’ Chief of Staff Muhammad Abdel Karim al-Ghamri and Defence Minister Mohamed al-Atafi also died, but there has been no confirmation of their deaths. The Houthis’ interior minister was also thought to be present at the time of the attack.

Defence Minister Mohamed al-Atafi is reported killed in the strike.

Details of the attack are still emerging and the Israeli Defence Forces are yet to confirm the deaths but if even one of these officials was assassinated, it would mark a significant blow to the Houthis, who have repeatedly managed to shrug off attacks not only by the Israelis but the US military forces.

The Houthi group is the only Iranian proxy that remains standing, after Hamas and Hezbollah were decapitated by Israel in a series of strikes and assassination plots over the last two years.

But even the notorious pager plot, which took Mossad years to develop, and which took out both foot soldiers and commanders of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, appeared easier to pull off than the attempts to destroy the Houthis.

Israel has hammered Yemen since it inserted itself into the war with Hamas after the October 7 2023 massacre, but has only managed to destroy some arms and fuel depots and civilian lives. Even the US failed to either make a dent in the group’s constantly moving leadership or its equally mobile weapons arsenal last year, despite using fearsome bunker busters of the type that took out Hezbollah’s former leader Hassan Nazrallah – and Iran’s buried nuclear sites. After just six weeks of air strikes, carried out in retaliation for Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Donald Trump was forced to call a “truce,” widely seen in the region as a surrender in all but name to the rebel group.

Houthi PM Ahmed a-Rahavi is widely reported to have been killed.

Even before they began striking Israel in retaliation for the war with Hamas, the Houthis had forged a fearsome reputation, facing down Saudi and UAE armed forces in Yemen’s civil war.

The three men who are thought to have been killed are all major figures in the group, battle hardened by that conflict and the war with Israel.

Chief of Staff al-Ghamri arguably held the greatest power, holding the military chain of command on the ground. Trained by Hezbollah in 2012, he took part in the civil war, developing a reputation for strikes against Saudi targets – and Yemen civilians. Sanctioned by the US, he was the target of an unsuccessful assassination attempt by the IDF during the 12 day war against Iran in June, according to Channel 12. The broadcaster reports al-Ghamri is seen by the security establishment as a critical operational target, due to his direct involvement in the fighting against Israel.

The commanders were listening to an address by Yemen's Shi'ite rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Picture: Supplied.

Defence Minister al-Atari who has served in the role since 2016 is another significant figure, with Israeli media reporting his close ties with both Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah, adapting the Houthis’ military tactics along Iranian lines.

Prime Minister a-Rahavi is possibly the least powerful of the trio, having served a year as the prime minister of the Houthis’ government, which is not recognised internationally. According to local media, his role was administrative, with few military or political powers.

Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz confirmed the attack on Friday morning (AEST), saying in a statement: “As we warned the Houthis in Yemen: After the plague of darkness comes the plague of the firstborn,” a reference to the Biblical Ten Plagues of Egypt, also appearing to reference the strikes on the Houthi leadership.

Guys..
The Red Wedding strike in Sanaa is looking very promising.

I don’t believe Abdul al-Malek will be amongst the names, but the Chief of staff might.. pic.twitter.com/6ZNkMM0wNw

— Voice From The East (@EasternVoices) August 28, 2025

Also confirming the strikes, the IDF accused the Houthis of acting aggressively since the start of the war with Hamas in Gaza, aiming to harm Israel and its allies, destabilise the regional order and disrupt global maritime freedom.

“The IDF is acting forcefully against the Houthi terror regime, alongside intensifying operations against Hamas in Gaza, and will continue to act to eliminate all threats to Israeli civilians,” the military said in a statement.

🚨
CONFIRMED: HOUTHI C.O.S ELIMINATED

The Houthi’s Chief of Staff, Mohammad Abd al-Karim al-Jamari, has been eliminated in the Israeli targeted strike in Yemen today.
Al-Jamari also served as head of the missile program. https://t.co/3TkgnQ6vPApic.twitter.com/LoxYsYOy6p

— Voice From The East (@EasternVoices) August 28, 2025

According to Kan TV, the IDF was still assessing the results of the attack “to verify that everyone who was at the Houthi gathering in the capital Sana’a was injured or killed.”

With AFP