Houthis Announce Death of Senior Military Chief in Israeli Airstrike

Key Facts

Published: October 16, 2025 Location: Jerusalem Source: Jerusalem Post, Wall Street Journal, Wire Services

• Houthis confirm death of military chief Muhammad al-Ghamari, killed in Israeli airstrike
• Al-Ghamari oversaw Houthi attacks on Israel and coalition targets
• UN and U.S. sanctioned the slain commander for destabilizing Yemen
• Successor Yousef al-Madani also sanctioned, vows to continue resistance

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

Major General Muhammad al-Ghamari’s Killing Marks Biggest Blow Yet to Iran-Backed Militia

JERUSALEM (Worthy News) –  Yemen’s Houthi movement announced Thursday that its military chief of staff, Major General Muhammad Abdulkarim al-Ghamari, was killed in an Israeli airstrike — the highest-ranking official of the Iran-backed terrorist organization to die at Israel’s hands.

The Houthis said al-Ghamari was killed “while fulfilling his duties,” alongside his 13-year-old son Hussein. Though the group did not directly blame Israel, it vowed revenge, saying the “Zionist enemy will receive due retributive punishment” until the “liberation of Jerusalem.”

Israeli officials later confirmed that al-Ghamari was among the intended targets of an August strike in the rebel-controlled capital, San’a, which hit a high-level Houthi government meeting. The Houthis initially denied that key military leaders were harmed, but intelligence assessments now indicate that al-Ghamari succumbed to wounds sustained in that strike.

“Another chief of staff has been eliminated among the terrorist commanders who sought to harm us — we will reach them all,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said following the announcement. Defense Minister Israel Katz called the killing “a major success” that dealt a severe blow to Houthi leadership.

Al-Ghamari, who rose to power as chief of staff in 2016 and later became commander-in-chief, was long considered one of the most influential figures in the Iran-backed militia. He oversaw coordination between the Houthis’ land, naval, and missile units and helped direct major attacks on U.S.-led coalition and Israeli targets.

Both the United Nations and the U.S. Treasury Department had sanctioned al-Ghamari for his role in destabilizing Yemen and threatening regional peace.

Following his death, the Houthis appointed Major General Yousef al-Madani — commander of the group’s fifth military region along the Red Sea — as the new chief of staff. Al-Madani is also under U.S. sanctions for his role in Yemen’s civil war and is regarded as one of the militia’s most hardened field commanders.

The death of al-Ghamari marks the most significant loss yet to the Houthi military hierarchy and is expected to disrupt coordination with Tehran and Hezbollah, analysts say.

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