Martyred prime minister of Yemen, Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahawi. Photo: Reuters/Khaled Abdullah.
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahawi has been martyred, along with several ministers, in the latest Israeli aggression on Sanaa, the Yemeni presidency announced on Saturday.
In a statement, the Yemeni presidency revealed that, amid the ongoing and open battle against “Israel,” Yemen lost a new cohort of great martyrs from its national leadership, which represents the entire spectrum of the Yemeni people, confirming the martyrdom of “freedom fighter Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahawi, the prime minister of the Government of Change and Construction, along with a number of his fellow ministers.”
“In vindication of the Palestinian people’s plight, Yemen waged the battle of the promised conquest and the sacred jihad, earning immense honor and, in its cause, presented convoys of martyrs from the heroes of the armed forces and other sons of the great Yemeni people who carried the banner and pledged to God to remain steadfast in the truth, no matter the cost,” the statement read.
PM, ministers targeted while assessing government’s performance
The statement highlighted that the Yemeni officials were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted them during a routine session to discuss and assess the yearly performance of the Yemeni government. The strike wounded several of their colleagues, some of them critically, and they are now receiving medical care.
The Yemeni presidency vowed that state institutions will continue to provide services to the Yemeni people, stating, “We reassure our great Yemeni people and vow to them that the government, with the help of God Almighty, will perform its role within the framework of its caretaker duties. State institutions will continue to provide services to the steadfast, patient Yemeni people and will remain unaffected no matter the scale of the tragedy.”
“The blood of our great martyrs will be the fuel and the motive to continue on the same path,” it asserted.
The statement concluded by affirming to the Yemenis, the oppressed Palestinian people, the entire Ummah, and every free person in the world, Yemen’s continued support for the people of Gaza.
It also pledged perseverance in building and developing the capabilities of the Yemeni armed forces to confront all challenges and dangers, a stance mirrored, according to the statement, by the great Yemeni people who are present in all fields and arenas with unwavering determination, will, and faith.
Shortly after the martyrdom was announced, the head of the Yemeni Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, announced the appointment of Mohammad al-Moftah as a caretaker prime minister, entrusted with the government in light of the assassination.
‘No matter the scale of its conspiracy, enemy will fail’
On his part, Mohamed Nasser al-Atifi, the Minister of Defense in the Sanaa government, affirmed the readiness of the armed forces at all levels to confront the Israeli enemy backed by the United States.
He added that the political leadership has taken all necessary measures to face the enemy, stressing that “no matter the scale of its conspiracy, it will fail.”
Similarly, Ansar Allah published a statement mourning the late prime minister along with his colleagues, vowing that the governmental institutions will continue to serve the Yemeni people and will not be deterred, no matter the costs.
On Thursday, the Yemeni capital of Sanaa was hit by more than 10 Israeli airstrikes, resulting in fatalities and injuries, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported.
While the Israeli military claimed targeting several top military leaders, including the Yemeni chief of staff, Yemeni officials asserted that the airstrikes struck residential and civilian areas.
A few days earlier, the Israeli occupation targeted a fuel derivatives warehouse with several raids on 60th Street in the southwestern sector of Sanaa.
Who was martyr Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rahawi?
Ahmad Ghalib Nasser al-Rahawi Al-Yafei is a Southern Yemeni politician affiliated with the General People’s Congress party, born in the Khanfar district, the largest district in the coastal Abyan Governorate overlooking the Arabian Sea in southern Yemen.
On Saturday, the Yemeni presidency announced that an Israeli strike on Thursday had killed Prime Minister Ahmad al-Rahawi alongside ministers of the government.
Here’s a glimpse into martyr al-Rahawi’s life and political career.#AhmadAlRahawi #Yemen #News #Politics pic.twitter.com/PzufrHTSB1
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 30, 2025
A member of the General Secretariat of the General People’s Congress, he previously held the position of Director-General of the Khanfar District in Abyan Governorate and was later appointed by a presidential decree as Deputy Governor of al-Mahwit, before being reassigned as Deputy Governor of Abyan and Chairman of the Local Council for the Khanfar District in Abyan Governorate.
Following the outbreak of the US-backed, Saudi-led coalition’s war on Yemen, he relocated from his home in Abyan Governorate to Sanaa, where the Sanaa government appointed him first as the Governor of Abyan, then as a member of the Supreme Political Council. On August 13, 2024, he was appointed as the head of the Government of Change and Construction.
A fighter in the face of the coalition of aggression
According to the Yemeni Ministry of Defense’s Sanaa-based newspaper, 26 September, al-Rahawi is one of the most prominent southern figures to have opposed the American-Saudi-led aggression against Yemen over ten years. He was distinguished by his patriotic stances in his capacity as a member of the Supreme Political Council, and he was among the most notable leaders affiliated with the General People’s Congress and served as a member of the party’s Permanent Committee.
Al-Rahawi is a member of the al-Rahawi tribe in Abyan Governorate and one of the region’s most prominent social figures. His career includes several high-level appointments, such as Director-General of the Khanfar District, the largest district in Abyan, followed by roles as Deputy Governor of al-Mahwit and later Deputy Governor of Abyan, both filled by presidential decree.
He is also the son of the assassinated political figure, social leader, and tribal face of the region, Ghalib Nasser al-Rahawi, who was killed in the 1970s.
Al-Rahawi made immense personal sacrifices, enduring numerous assassination attempts, including one in which criminal Al-Qaeda elements destroyed his only home in Abyan, an event that forced him to relocate to the capital, Sanaa, in 2015, where he settled and was subsequently appointed as the Governor of Abyan and then as a member of the Supreme Political Council.