Houthis Say '1000 Leaders' in Store Amid Israel Assassination Strike Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A source within Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, has told Newsweek that the group would persist in its battle with Israel after reports that Israeli forces carried out a targeted strike against senior figures at a meeting.
The Israeli attack, which comes amid an unprecedented exchange of strikes between Israel and Ansar Allah's Axis of Resistance coalition ally, Iran, was reported by a number of Israeli outlets as well as Saudi Arabia's Al-Hadath network.
The reports cited unnamed sources suggesting that the target was Ansar Allah military Chief of Staff Mohammed Abdel Karim al-Ghamari. Al-Hadath also reported that Ansar Allah-led Supreme Political Council President Mahdi al-Mashat was also in attendance at the meeting.
Their fates have yet to be confirmed.
The Ansar Allah source with whom Newsweek spoke to declined to discuss the details of the strike but affirmed that the group was prepared to move forward with its missile and drone campaign against Israel even in the case of losing high-level leaders.
"We are all projects of martyrdom, and we are not afraid of being targeted," the Ansar Allah source said. "Every leader is succeeded by a thousand leaders."
Newsweek has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.
Ansar Allah has fired dozens of missiles and drones at Israel since October 2023, intervening in support of the Palestinian Hamas movement after it launched a surprise attack on Israel. The ensuing conflict sparked a still-ongoing war that has spread across the Middle East, drawing in Iran and allies non-state allies across the region.
Rising tensions over the conflict took a dramatic new turn this week when Israel launched a sweeping and unprecedented series of strikes across Iran. The operating, dubbed "Rising Lion," has involved hundreds of attacks targeting facilities and personnel tied to Iran's armed forces and nuclear program.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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