JUST IN : Yemen’s Houthis confirm Israeli strike killed prime minister, other top officials

The Houthi movement in Yemen has  confirmed that an Israeli air raid earlier this week killed the head of its government in Sanaa along with several top officials.

In a statement issued Saturday, the group said Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi died in a strike on Thursday that also claimed the lives of a number of ministers.

According to the Houthis, al-Rahawi and other members of the group’s administration were hit during a workshop in the capital.

They reported that “several” ministers were killed but provided no further information.

The Israeli military acknowledged the attack, saying its forces struck “a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa” on Thursday.

The strike comes amid mounting regional tensions linked to Israel’s war in Gaza. Over recent months, Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked Houthi sites as the Yemeni group has launched assaults on Israel and Western shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, describing them as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.