Houthi Leaders Flee Sana’a in Panic After Deadly Israeli Strike
A lethal Israeli airstrike killed senior Houthi officials, including their “prime minister,” triggering panic and a mass evacuation of leaders from Sana’a to northern hideouts.
A devastating Israeli airstrike on September 28, 2025, has plunged Yemen’s Houthi leadership into chaos, prompting a mass exodus from Sana’a. The attack, which killed Houthi “prime minister” Ahmed al-Rahawi and nine cabinet members, targeted a government compound housing dozens of senior officials. According to a Saudi newspaper, the strike has left the Iran-backed group in an unprecedented state of “confusion and panic.”
Sources in Sana’a reported that key Houthi figures, including political bureau member Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, Interior Minister Abdul Karim al-Houthi, intelligence chief Abu Ali al-Hakim, and ruling council aide Ahmed Hamed, have vanished from public view for days. “The Houthi leadership issued urgent directives to its officials: abandon the city and evacuate north,” the report stated, noting movements to fortified hideouts in Saada and Amran provinces.
Witnesses observed small convoys of vehicles and darkened buses transporting Houthi families and security supervisors from Sana’a’s northern and central neighbourhoods over the past three days. These evacuations reflect the group’s realization that its leaders are now prime targets for Israel, especially after repeated Houthi drone and missile attacks on Israeli territory and Red Sea shipping.
A source close to Houthi decision-making circles confirmed that leaders were ordered to abandon offices and homes in Sana’a, avoid government buildings, and refrain from gathering in public spaces vulnerable to Israeli airstrikes. The IDF confirmed the strike, executed by fighter jets, was enabled by “rapid operational closure” following precise intelligence, with assessments ongoing to determine additional high-value targets hit.
The Houthis, who control 30% of Yemen’s territory, have faced escalating Israeli retaliation since joining Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” against Israel in October 2023, following Hamas’s attack that killed 1,200. The group’s attacks on global shipping have disrupted 12% of Red Sea trade, prompting U.S. and UK strikes. With only four Houthi cabinet ministers reportedly surviving, the group’s governance structure is faltering, further isolating its leadership as they seek refuge.