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Amid the heavy missile barrages launched by Iran since the start of Operation Rising Lion officials in Jerusalem were surprised by the relatively low number of rocket attacks from the Houthis in Yemen—and are still trying to understand why.
One possible explanation gaining traction is that the Houthis’ top military commander was critically wounded in an Israeli airstrike over the weekend.
A senior Israeli official revealed that the Houthi chief of staff, Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, was targeted during a meeting where he had gathered “to chew qat. We struck him there,” the official said. “This is not a joke.”
The Israeli strike on al-Ghamari took place Saturday, coinciding with the wave of Israeli attacks in Iran and the Iranian missile fire directed at Israel. The outcome of the assassination attempt remains unclear, as does the identity of those who were with al-Ghamari at the time, but Israeli officials believe several senior figures were present. The growing assessment in Jerusalem is that al-Ghamari was likely killed in the strike.
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A Yemeni security source told Ynet that al-Ghamari also served as the head of the Houthis’ missile program. The Israeli strike reportedly targeted his meeting headquarters, located in an upscale neighborhood. In the aftermath, Houthi forces were seen setting up roadblocks, and ambulances were dispatched to the area.
Al-Ghamari had trained in Iran and was responsible for coordination between the Islamic Republic and the Houthi movement. The Yemeni source described him as one of the “most dangerous” figures within the group. If confirmed, his death would mark a significant blow to both the Houthis and Iran.