The Houthis appointed a new military leader on Friday, a day after announcing the death of his predecessor, which Yemen experts say has dealt a major blow to the Iran-backed rebels.
Military chief of staff Muhammad Al Ghamari was killed in August "while fulfilling his duties", the Houthis said. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed Mr Al Ghamari was killed in an Israeli strike that wiped out most of the Houthi political leadership. His position has been filled by Yousef Al Madani, the Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency said.
If Mr Al Ghamari was killed in the attack, experts say this could inflame tension between the Houthis and Israel despite a ceasefire in Gaza. The Houthis have been launching attacks at Israel since October 7, 2023, triggering devastating Israeli strikes in response.
The strike in August killed the Houthi prime minister and nine ministers but targeting its military leadership is more impactful, one analyst said. "Losing a figure of his [Al Ghamari's] stature is a major setback for the movement and not one that can be easily compensated for," Ahmed Nagi, a Yemen expert at Crisis Group, told The National on Friday.
"Al Ghamari’s death could, in the future, lead to the targeting of other top-level commanders, a highly troubling scenario for the movement."
The Israeli military said Mr Al Ghamari had played a "key role in building the military capabilities of the Houthi terror regime, particularly in establishing its missile systems and weapons-production infrastructure". It claimed he had been trained by Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
New chief of staff
Yousef Al Madani, a long-time Houthi commander and brother-in-law of the rebels' leader Abdul-Malik Al Houthi, has been appointed to the position.
A veteran trained by the IRGC, Mr Al Madani’s rise reflects deeper Houthi entrenchment in Yemen’s war and growing regional tension.
He had been sanctioned at the same time as Mr Al Ghamari by the US over his work as “a prominent Houthi military leader”, who commanded the rebels' fifth military zone, including the key Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
The Houthis have typically kept their military structure and leadership in the shadows, said Baraa Shiban, Yemen expert and associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. Mr Al Madani is a trusted commander and member of the inner circle of the Houthis' leader, Mr Shiban said.
"Al Madani is one of them, some even believed he could be Abdul-Malik’s successor if he was killed," he said. "The choice to put someone like Al Madani in an official position risks exposing him but it shows they don’t trust the other regular commanders to replace Al Ghamari."
Mr Nagi argues the appointment is a sign of the group's readiness to deal with such scenarios. "Al Madani is one of the top military leaders but Al Ghamari had more military experience," Mr Nagi said. "The group also maintains a network of alternative leaders across its fronts to ensure that any loss can be swiftly compensated."
However, Yemen's Information Minister Moammar Al Eryani, who is part of the internationally recognised government based in Aden, which opposes the Houthis, said the late announcement by the Houthis is a sign of "dysfunction" in the rebel group.
The move "exposes the extent of their security vulnerabilities and leadership dysfunction, reflected in their confusion, contradictory messages, and chaotic management of the political and media landscape," he said on X.
The Houthis have been firing missiles and drones at Israel and international ships in the Red Sea, claiming they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians over Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has carried out several rounds of retaliatory strikes on Yemeni ports, power stations and the international airport in Sanaa.
"Today, the militia appears to be in a state of accelerating collapse, faltering in its decisions, with its factions clashing internally, losing control over its narrative, while its cards are being exposed domestically and internationally," Mr Al Eryani said.
