In a stunning escalation of regional conflict, an Israeli airstrike on August 29, 2025, killed Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, the Houthi prime minister, along with several senior officials in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, marking a significant blow to the Iran-backed rebel group. The strike, targeting a government workshop in the Beit Baws area, was executed with precise intelligence and approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reflecting Israel’s shift from infrastructure attacks to decapitating Houthi leadership. The Houthis, who have launched missiles and drones at Israel in solidarity with Palestinians since the Gaza war began in 2023, vowed revenge, with their leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi undeterred despite the loss of key figures like the foreign and justice ministers. This assassination, described as a “serious setback” by analysts, underscores Israel’s aggressive campaign to neutralize Iran’s regional proxies amid heightened tensions.
Simultaneously, Israel confirmed the elimination of Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua in a March 2025 airstrike in Gaza City, part of a broader offensive targeting Hamas leadership ahead of a planned ground invasion of Rafah. The strike, which also killed a World Central Kitchen volunteer, reflects Israel’s intensified efforts to dismantle Hamas’s command structure following the group’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 Israelis. With multiple senior Hamas figures, including political leader Ismail Haniyeh, assassinated since mid-2024, Israel’s strategy aims to cripple the group’s operational and propaganda capabilities before a large-scale incursion. These actions, coupled with a “complete siege” on Gaza, have drawn international condemnation for exacerbating the humanitarian crisis, yet Israel maintains they are necessary to prevent further attacks.
The Islamic Republic of Iran teeters on the brink of collapse following Israel’s devastating strikes during the 12-day war in June 2025, which decimated its military and nuclear leadership, including Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami and 20 other top commanders. The destruction of Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility and the killing of six nuclear scientists have severely weakened the regime, fueling internal dissent and raising the specter of civil war. With proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah crippled and Syria’s Assad fallen, Iran’s regional influence has crumbled, prompting desperate calls for retaliation from surviving leaders. As Mossad operatives reportedly operate within Iran, the regime’s inability to respond effectively has emboldened opposition groups, potentially igniting widespread unrest and threatening the Islamic Republic’s survival.
