DUBAI, August 29. /TASS/. Head of the government formed by the Yemeni Houthis Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi was killed on Thursday in an Israeli strike on rebel-controlled Sanaa, two sources in the Ansar Allah movement told TASS.
The Yemeni media outlets operating on the territory controlled by the internationally recognized government were the first to report on the death of al-Rahawi. The Houthis on Thursday denied claims that senior members of the movement had been targeted by Israeli strikes. For instance, head of the supreme political council of Ansar Allah Mahdi al-Mashat called the attack a "failure." Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the movement's press service, told Al Jazeera that the Houthi leaders were not injured in the attacks on the Yemeni capital.
According to TASS sources, the head of the unrecognized government was staying in an apartment building in the Haddah district on the southern outskirts of the city. Three of al-Rahawi's associates were also killed in the attack, and several others were injured. One of the agency's sources said that the dead "gathered for an informal meeting" to watch a televised address by rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, when Israeli aircraft attacked Sanaa.
Among the dead could be personal assistant to the head of the supreme political council of Ansar Allah Abdel Salam al-Manhabi and general staff chief Muhammed al-Ghamari. Unconfirmed reports have also spread on social media about the death of Houthi Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser al-Atifi. TASS sources said that al-Atifi's fate is still unknown.
Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi, appointed head of the Houthi government last August, had a purely administrative role. Although the deceased was a member of the supreme council of Ansar Allah, he did not take part in resolving military and political issues.