THE head of the supreme council of Yemen’s Houthis vowed on Saturday to retaliate against Israel for killing the country’s Prime Minister Ahmed Galeb al-Rahawi.

Mahdi al-Mashat was reported by the Al-Masirah TV channel as saying: “We assure the dear people of Yemen that our armed forces are fully combat-ready.”

Mr Mashat added that the movement’s revenge “will not be long in coming” and that Israel will face “dark days” for the assassination of the prime minister. 

Mr Mashat also warned all companies operating in Israel to “leave before it is too late.”

Mr Rahawi was killed by the Israeli military in Thursday’s strike in Sanaa along with a number of ministers, the rebels said in a statement. Other ministers and officials were wounded, the statement added without providing details.

The premier was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a “routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year,” the Yemeni statement said.

Thursday’s attack took place as Al-Masirah was broadcasting a speech by Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the Houthi leader, in which he was sharing updates on the latest Gaza developments and vowing retaliation against Israel. 

Mr Rahawi was not part of the inner circle around the Houthi leader. His government, like the previous ones, was tasked with running civilian affairs in Sanaa and other Houthi-held areas.

The attack that killed the prime minister appears to have targeted a meeting for Houthi leaders in a villa in Beit Baws, an ancient village in southern Sanaa. 

On Thursday, the Israeli military said it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.” Late on Saturday, the military in a statement confirmed killing al-Rahawi “along with additional senior officials.”

It said senior officials among the dozens at the facility struck were responsible for “terror actions” against Israel.