Al-Rahawi, an ally of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, joined the Houthis when they took Sana'a in 2014, which marked the beginning of the civil war in Yemen. He was appointed prime minister in August 2024.
His assassination makes him the highest-ranking Houthi official killed since the United States and Israel launched their air and naval campaign against the rebels in response to missile and drone attacks against Israel and ships in the Red Sea.
The conflict has intensified over the past two years, after the Houthis launched a series of attacks against commercial and military vessels, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. In August, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile with a cluster warhead against Israel, the first of its kind since 2023, according to Israeli authorities.
Despite the bombings, the Houthis have maintained their defiant stance. In May, the administration of Donald Trump announced an agreement with the rebels to halt airstrikes in exchange for an end to attacks on ships. However, the Houthis stated that such an agreement did not mean giving up attacks on targets linked to Israel.












