Houthi Chief of Staff Major General Mohammed al-Ghamari Killed After Multiple Israeli Assassination Attempts

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have announced the death of their Chief of the General Staff, Major General Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Ghamari. The announcement confirms the elimination of one of the Iran-backed group’s most senior and operationally significant military figures, following months of intense, targeted strikes by Israel aimed at decapitating the Houthi leadership.
While the Houthi announcement offered no specifics on the date or circumstances of al-Ghamari’s death, the confirmation follows a series of public reports from Israeli officials detailing repeated, increasingly precise assassination attempts against the Major General.
The Target of Repeated Strikes
Major General Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Ghamari held the rank of Major General and served as the Chief of the General Staff of the Houthi-led faction of the Yemeni Armed Forces since approximately 2016. He was considered a pivotal figure in the Houthi command structure, responsible for orchestrating major military campaigns and coordinating the group’s increasingly sophisticated missile and drone program.
◦ Iran-Backed Coordination: Al-Ghamari was known to have established close ties with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, having reportedly trained in both Syria and Lebanon. He was central to coordinating the Houthi cross-border missile and drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and, most recently, Israel itself.
◦ Escalating Assassination Attempts: The Major General had been a high-priority target for Israel since the Houthis began launching attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attacks.
• June 2025: Israeli media first reported an attempted assassination when an Israeli airstrike hit a headquarters in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. While initial reports claimed he was wounded, Houthi sources vehemently denied the injury, insisting he was “healthy and supervising the management of attacks against Israel.”
• August 2025: The IDF confirmed that al-Ghamari was a primary target in a wave of severe Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa that month, which also reportedly targeted the Houthi Defense Minister and other senior political and military figures. Israeli officials, who had been “awaiting confirmation of the results,” believed the entire Houthi cabinet may have been killed in the attack.
The Military and Political Impact
The death of Major General al-Ghamari represents a significant operational blow to the Houthis. As the Chief of Staff, he was responsible for the strategic planning and execution of military operations, including the continued use of advanced missile and drone technology. His elimination will disrupt the Houthi’s ability to coordinate large-scale military actions and will require the group to restructure its command apparatus.
The Houthi announcement itself emphasized that the conflict with Israel “had not ended,” and that Israel will “receive its deterrent punishment for the crimes it has committed.” This suggests that even as they mourn a major loss, the group will likely attempt a high-profile response to demonstrate the resilience of the “Axis of Resistance.”
For Israel, the successful targeting of al-Ghamari reinforces its willingness and capability to project power far beyond its borders to neutralize threats, even as the Gaza ceasefire is implemented. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz affirmed this strategy, stating that al-Ghamari was targeted in an Israeli strike and that “We will do the same against any threat in the future as well.”
The death of a figure of al-Ghamari’s stature highlights the ongoing reality of the broader regional conflict, which continues to simmer beneath the surface of the fragile Gaza truce.