Yemen'sHouthi rebels on Saturday vowed to take revenge for the killing of their prime minister and other political leaders by Israeli airstrikes earlier this week. The Houthis confirmed Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a strike on the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Thursday, which also left others seriously wounded. Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthis' Supreme Political Council, said in a video statement, "We promise to God, to the dear Yemeni people and the families of the martyrs and wounded that we will take revenge and we will turn the wounds into a victory." Al-Rahawi is the most senior figure in the Iran-backed Houthis to be killed in Israeli's campaign against the group. The ministers were targeted during "a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activity and performance over the past year," the group said in a statement carried on Houthi-run television. The gathering of top Houthi officials, reportedly to watch a speech by the group's secretive leader, appears to have been a prime opportunity for Israel to target the Iran-backed rebels leaders in one operation. The Houthi Minister of Defense, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Nasser al-Atifi, said the Houthis are ready "at all levels to confront the US-backed Zionist enemy" in a statement carried on Houthi-run television soon after the news was announced. The assassination strike was also confirmed by Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz on Saturday. Katz said in a statement that the Israeli military had struck an "unprecedented knockout blow" to Houthi leadership. "The Houthi Prime Minister, most of his ministers, and other senior officials were eliminated and injured," Katz claimed. "I warned that after the 'plague of darkness' would come the 'plague of the firstborn' — and now we have carried out that warning," Katz added. The Houthis have been targeting Red Sea shipping in solidarity with Palestinians following the October 7 attacks, and have fired a number of missiles at Israel, most of which have been intercepted. Since the start of the war in Gaza nearly two years ago, Israel has used its robust intelligence advantage to eliminate the leaders of Iran's closest proxies in the Middle East. Last year, Israel assassinated Hamas' political leader, Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Two months later, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike in Beirut. And last October, Israeli forces in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza. In December, Defense Minister Israel Katz publicly threatened that Israel would go after the Houthi's top leaders as well. "We will hit the strategic infrastructures of the Houthi terrorist organization and we will behead its leaders - just like we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah - in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon. This is what we will do in Hodeida and Sanaa as well," he said. Thursday's strike marks the first time Israel has successfully targeted Houthi leadership. In the past, Israel has largely attacked military targets in Yemen and civilian infrastructure that the Israeli military says is being used by the Houthis. In an indication that Israel may have been shifting its strategy, the Israeli air force struck a military base on which the presidential palace is located. The Air Force also attacked two power plants and a fuel storage site. The Houthis control much of northern Yemen, having stormed Sanaa in 2014 and ousted the internationally recognized government. Since then a Saudi-backed coalition has been unable to dislodge the Houthis, who have further consolidated their power. This story has been updated with additional information. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com
