By Mary Jideonwo-Moemeke
Shortly after the Gaza war began in October 2023, Houthi militants based in Yemen began targeting civilian merchant and naval vessels passing through the Red Sea. The Houthis said that their attacks would continue until Israel ended its “crimes in Gaza.” The group said it would target vessels linked to Israel, but has primarily indiscriminately attacked many vessels with no relation to the country. By May 2024, Houthis had conducted over 50 attacks; Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said his forces had launched 606 ballistic missiles and drones against 107 ships affiliated with Israel and its allies across the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb strait, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean.
In addition to attacking ships in the Red Sea, Houthis targeted Israel itself with countless airstrikes and drone attacks since the war began, prompting retaliatory strikes by Israel. The first was on 19 October 2023, when United States officials said the USS Carney shot down three land-attack cruise missiles and several drones heading toward Israel launched by the Houthis in Yemen. After a Houthi drone attack in July 2024 killed one person and injured 10 others near the U.S. embassy office in Tel Aviv, Israel responded by attacking military facilities and oil depots in al-Hudaydah, Yemen, killing at least six and wounding at least 83. Israel attacked Yemen again in September, killing six and injuring 57 others. After Houthi attacks in December 2024, Israel launched two waves of strikes against Houthi territory in al-Hudaydah and Sanaa, killing a total of 13 people. The most deadly of these strikes targeted the Sanaa International Airport.
During much of the 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, which was agreed to on 15 January, Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea and against Israeli territory largely subsided. The Houthis announced a resumption in attacks on 11 March, citing insufficient humanitarian aid entering Gaza. After the March 2025 Israeli strikes on Gaza, the Houthis pledged escalation on 18 March. On 4 May, a Houthi attack hit the Ben Gurion Airport in Israel; in response, Israel carried out retaliatory attacks on Yemen, including an attack on Sanaa International Airport.
On the 31st of August 2025, Israel lunched another that killed Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi also claimed the lives of multiple cabinet members as they assembled to produce a prerecorded speech for the rebel group’s chief.
A Houthi official statement reported that former Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtour al-Rahawi and several cabinet members were targeted in an attack while attending a workshop. Al-Rahawi led the government in areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthi movement.
An Israeli airstrike in Sana’a on Thursday killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and several ministers, the group confirmed Saturday. Other officials were wounded. Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat promised retaliation and warned foreign companies to leave Israel. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the operation “a crushing blow” and warned it was “only the beginning.”
Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat vowed vengeance in a video message following an Israeli strike on Sanaa. The Israeli military stated it targeted a “Houthi terrorist regime military target,” an action that further escalates regional tensions stemming from the war in Gaza.
Israel’s strikes on Houthi positions are a response to the group’s repeated attacks on Israeli territory and international shipping, which the Houthis claim are acts of solidarity with Gaza.
