Maj. Gen. Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, chief of staff of Yemen’s Houthi rebel forces, has died from wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike in August, officials confirmed on Thursday. The attack, which targeted senior Houthi leaders, has intensified tensions between Israel and the group, even as a ceasefire remains in effect in the Gaza Strip.
Houthis Confirm Death of Top Commander
The Houthis have acknowledged al-Ghamari’s death. The senior commander had been sanctioned by the United Nations for his role in Yemen’s decade-long conflict.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed responsibility for the airstrike, saying al-Ghamari “joined his fellow members of the axis of evil in the depths of hell” after succumbing to his injuries. Katz described the operation as “the strike of the firstborn,” referring to a series of Israeli attacks carried out on August 28, that also killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi — the highest-ranking official from the group to be killed in Israeli strikes so far.
UN and US Sanctions on al-Ghamari
The United Nations had described al-Ghamari as playing “the leading role in orchestrating the Houthis’ military efforts that are directly threatening the peace, security and stability of Yemen, as well as cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia.”
The U.S. Treasury, which sanctioned him in 2021, said al-Ghamari was “responsible for orchestrating attacks by Houthi forces impacting Yemeni civilians.” It added that, as the Houthis’ chief of staff, he was directly accountable for operations that destroyed civilian infrastructure in Yemen and neighbouring countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
At the time of his sanctioning, the U.S. Treasury listed al-Ghamari’s year of birth as either 1979 or 1984.
