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Short answer
When it comes to Israel, headlines too often get distorted. In August 2025, Israel killed Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi, not Yemen’s lawful prime minister, but the Houthis’ self-appointed “prime minister” in Sanaa, along with other senior members of that illegitimate Houthi administration. The Houthis are an Iran-backed militia, not Yemen’s recognized government, and they launch missiles and drones at Israel while attacking international shipping. Al-Rahawi was a senior figure in that rebel junta, nothing more.
The internationally recognized government sits in Aden, led by PLC chair Rashad al-Alimi. In May 2025 Salem bin Buraik was appointed prime minister, and he’s alive, in office, and recognized worldwide. So no, Israel did not “kill Yemen’s prime minister.” It eliminated the head of an illegitimate, Iranian-backed proxy that repeatedly attacks Israel, calls for its destruction, and spreads violent antisemitic rhetoric.
Long answer
On August 28, the Israel Defense Forces carried out a precision strike in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen. The target was Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi, the Houthis’ self-styled “prime minister,” along with nine of his ministers and two other senior terror officials. Within minutes, the Houthi propaganda machine, amplified by the usual anti-Israel online echo chambers, claimed Israel had assassinated “Yemen’s prime minister.” Headlines dutifully repeated the lie, spinning the false story that Israel toppled Yemen’s government.
In reality, Ahmed al-Rahawi was never Yemen’s prime minister. He was the figurehead of an Iran-backed terror faction that created a sham “government” in northern Yemen while plunging the country into civil war. Since 2017, the Houthis have seized the north, devastating Yemenis and destabilizing the region. The Houthis in Sanaa are not a sovereign state, they are Tehran’s proxy militia, launching missiles and drones at Israel, hijacking ships, and masquerading as rulers.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s legitimate government operates from Aden, led by the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) under chairman Rashad al-Alimi, a seasoned politician and former deputy prime minister. The lawful prime minister is Salem Saleh bin Braik, a former finance minister — alive, in office, and recognized worldwide. That is Yemen’s real government.
So no, Israel did not assassinate Yemen’s prime minister. It eliminated the head of an illegitimate, Iran-backed militia that thrives on war, targets civilians and global shipping, launches repeated attacks on Israel, openly calls for the elimination of Israel and the Jews, and whose only “legitimacy” comes from violent control and terrorism in the areas it occupies.
