As the sun rose on Monday, thousands gathered at al-Sabeen Square in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, for the mass funeral of senior Houthi officials, including Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi. The 12 officials had been killed in Israeli strikes on Thursday afternoon.
At the funeral, caskets draped in the Yemeni flag were carried on military vehicles before crowds of officials and citizens.
Shock, sorrow, anger, and defiance marked the faces of participants. The strike was the first to sow such widespread confusion and grief in regions under Houthi control.
While Israel has targeted Houthi-held areas for more than a year, Thursday’s attack was particularly devastating, with more than half of cabinet members in the Sanaa government killed .
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strike was “a crushing blow” against the Houthi movement, officially known as Ansar Allah, warning that “this is only the beginning”.
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Ansar Allah leaders have struck a defiant tone, vowing vengeance against Israel. Among the public, however, reactions have been more mixed in the wake of the unprecedented loss.
‘Life goes on as normal’
Mohammed Ali, a university graduate in Sanaa, said Israel is “an expert assassin” and its attack on the Yemeni officials in the capital was not unusual.
Standing near al-Sabeen square and holding a large photo of the slain prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, he told Middle East Eye, “I am not sad because Israel struck Yemen. But the killing of so many officials at once saddens me. It was our officials’ mistake. They did not take adequate precautionary measures.”
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Ali believes Israel is seeking to destabilise governorates under Houthi control by targeting officials and bombing vital infrastructure, including petrol stations and electricity facilities.
“Life in Sanaa or elsewhere in Houthi-run governorates goes on as normal,” he said. “Public institutions continue to operate, and private businesses remain functional. Israeli assassinations have not robbed us of our stability.”
Since late 2023, the Houthi group has been launching attacks on Israel and Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea in support of Gaza, where Israel’s ongoing genocide has killed over 62,000 people.
Salah Taher, a university lecturer in Sanaa, said the attack dealt a major blow to the movement, leaving the cabinet severely diminished.
“The elimination of the majority of Houthi ministers in a single strike is a grim omen for the movement. There is no guarantee that Israel will not carry out a similar assault again,” he said.
Taher compared the situation to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah leadership in Lebanon, suggesting that the Houthis could face a similar fate, although gradually.
Israeli infiltration
The attack raises questions about how deeply Israel may have penetrated Houthi authorities and the extent of intelligence they have gathered on the movement.
“Whatever the Houthi reactions, the Israeli strikes have been painful and could pave the way for the dismantling of the movement,” Abdulsalam Mohammed, the head of Abaad Studies and Research Center, told MEE.
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“The targeting of the Houthis in Sanaa may even reach the top ideological, military, and intelligence leadership in the coming days.”
Since 2014, the Houthi leadership has fought Yemen’s internationally recognised government, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Due to the ongoing Israeli strikes and heavy US attacks in the spring, Mohammed believes the Houthi group’s military capabilities are too weak to mount an operation against government forces in the south.
“If the Houthis try to launch ground military operations against the Yemeni government army, it will only hasten their downfall,” Mohammed said.
While the Israeli killing of Ansar Allah officials has deeply affected millions of people in Yemen, it has not evoked sympathy from everyone.
Rashid, a journalist in Marib, a central governorate under the control of the government, said the Houthis’ rise to power has brought Yemen widespread hardship. He said the group’s “hunger for power and wealth” has left millions displaced, starving, and ill.
“I cannot sympathise with those who brought us misery. Their support for Gaza does not absolve the Houthis of their crimes in Yemen,” he told MEE.
‘Opened the gate of hell’
As their confrontation with Israel escalates, the Houthis have vowed a “painful response” to Israeli actions.
Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, the movement’s leader, recently said that they have carried out 1,679 attacks on Israel and Red Sea targets, employing drones, missiles, and war canoes.
‘Killing our leaders will not break our morale or stop our struggle for freedom’
– Ali Saleh, Houthi soldier
Houthi chief of staff, Major General Mohammed al-Ghamari, said the assassination of Yemeni officials in Sanaa “will not deter us from our firm and supportive stance towards our brothers in Gaza and Palestine in general.”
He added that the attack would only strengthen the determination, resolve, and steadfastness of his forces until Israel’s aggression on Gaza ceases and the siege is lifted.
“The Zionist enemy must know very well that by committing this heinous crime, it has opened the gates of hell upon itself, and the response of our armed forces will be harsh and painful,” Ghamari said.
Ali Saleh, a 28-year-old Houthi soldier in Sanaa, told MEE that the assassination of Yemeni leaders is a “futile attempt to subdue Yemen”.
“We don’t lack courage or leaders. We are ready to keep the war with Israel ablaze for decades. We see Israel as a nasty intruder in the region, and it will one day be gone,” Saleh said.
He added that he could not hold back tears upon hearing the news of the killings on Thursday.
“We are willing to share our blood and tears with the people of Gaza. It is a matter of humanity and honour. Killing our leaders will not break our morale or stop our struggle for freedom,” he said.
