DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Israeli airstrike targeting top leaders in Yemen’s Houthi rebels in August killed the chief of staff of its military, officials said Thursday, further escalating the tensions between the group and Israel even as a ceasefire holds in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis first acknowledged the killing of Maj. Gen. Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, who had been sanctioned by the United Nations over his role in the country’s decadelong war.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz a short time later claimed the killing, saying that al-Ghamari had died of wounds he suffered in the attack and had joined “his fellow members of the axis of evil in the depths of hell.”
The United Nations, in sanctioning al-Ghamari, described him as playing “the leading role in orchestrating the Houthis’ military efforts that are directly threatening the peace, security and stability of Yemen, as well as cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia.”
Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press
