ADEN, Sep 1: Hundreds of Yemenis gathered in Sanaa on Monday to mourn the death of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last week alongside several senior officials.
The funeral, held at Shaab Mosque and broadcast on Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV, saw mourners chant anti-Israel and anti-US slogans. Coffins of the deceased, including ministers of foreign affairs, media, culture, and industry, were draped in Yemeni flags.
Al-Rahawi is the highest-ranking Houthi official killed since the joint Israeli-US military campaign against the Iranian-backed rebel group began. Acting Prime Minister Mohamed Muftah claimed at the funeral that despite the Israeli attacks, Houthi-controlled Yemeni ports remain operational, with no current food or fuel shortages. He described the conflict as both military and economic in nature.
On the same day, the Houthis resumed attacks in the Red Sea, targeting the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Scarlet Ray, owned by Eastern Pacific, an Israeli-linked company. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed responsibility, alleging the vessel had Israeli ties. The maritime firm Ambrey confirmed the ship fits the Houthis’ “target profile,” though the vessel sustained no damage and all crew are safe.
These renewed assaults follow a pattern of Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea—an important global trade route—aimed at expressing solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Their actions have severely disrupted maritime commerce, with prior strikes sinking vessels and causing fatalities.
Separately, the Houthis also raided UN offices in their territories, detaining 11 staff members, including a senior international official, and seizing documents and equipment.
The World Food Program confirmed nine of its staff were among those detained. Executive Director Cindy McCain condemned the incident as “unacceptable.”
These developments come as a possible new ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict remains uncertain, and US-Iran tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program continue to escalate. (AP)
