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Where has Hezam al-Asad, a senior member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, gone? Since the start of the war, the Houthi official had been highly active on the X social media platform, frequently posting videos in support of the Gaza Strip, echoing the words of Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, and publishing a steady stream of anti-Israel content. His posts that drew the most attention in Israel were those written in Hebrew.
Yet in recent days, despite continued U.S. airstrikes on Yemen and the Houthis’ own firing of ballistic missiles at Israel, al-Asad has gone silent. Has he gone underground? Or vanished for another reason?
His last post on X was Thursday, March 20. In it, he wrote in Hebrew: “Death to Israel.” Since then, nothing. This is despite his reputation as an exceptionally active voice online, regularly posting multiple times a day and commenting on every development related to the fighting in Gaza and other conflict zones.
The Houthis have suffered heavy losses in recent days, both in casualties and property, from U.S. strikes targeting their facilities. But the identities and number of casualties remain unclear.
On Monday, Saudi news outlet Al Hadath reported, citing sources, that a senior Houthi figure was killed in a strike in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The area was sealed off for over six hours, and security was tightened.
The report also said that the target was a government compound and that Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi had ordered all senior officials and their aides to stop carrying mobile phones amid the renewed strikes. According to the sources, “Houthi leaders disappeared after the renewed U.S. strikes, and confusion reigns in areas under their control.”
That night, the Houthi Health Ministry reported one civilian killed and 13 others wounded—including three children—in a U.S. strike on a residential building in Sanaa. The ministry blamed the U.S., the international community and humanitarian organizations for the “political and moral responsibility” for attacks on civilian infrastructure and neighborhoods. Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV aired footage showing damage from the strike.
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Later Monday, reports emerged of additional strikes in Yemen’s Saada province. According to Yemeni media, recent American strikes have hit multiple regions, including Saada, Sanaa, Marib, Hodeidah, al-Bayda and al-Jawf.
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US airstrikes in Yemen's al-Jaraf province, last week
On Saturday, Al Hadath reported that Houthi naval commander Mansour al-Saadi, call sign Abu Sajad, and seven others were wounded in a previous U.S. strike on a naval base in Hodeidah. On March 16, the outlet reported the death of Abdul Malik al-Houthi’s personal security chief in a strike on Saada. That same day, Houthi sources reported at least 53 killed and around 100 wounded in U.S. airstrikes. The attacks have continued since then. On Wednesday, Houthi-aligned media outlets reported funerals held in Sanaa for 16 fighters.
Hezam al-Asad’s X account has over 117,000 followers, and he had gained notoriety during the war for posts—including in Hebrew—about Houthi missile attacks, often mentioning the southern Israeli resort town Eilat by name.
On the day he went silent last week, he mocked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for seeking shelter as air raid sirens were triggered in Jerusalem due to a ballistic missile fired from Yemen. “Netanyahu flees like a rat to the bunker. Our army strikes the enemy with God’s power, and the victory of Gaza’s children is near!” he wrote.