Yemeni Reports: Houthi Defense Minister Critically Wounded in Israeli Strike

Yemeni media outlets report that Houthi Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nasser al-Atifi was critically injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting Houthi positions in Sanaa in late August, and that his condition is “severe and rapidly deteriorating.”

According to Defense Line, a Yemeni outlet known for its anti-Houthi stance, al-Atifi has been hospitalized since the August 28 strikes, which also killed the Houthi prime minister and nine other ministers. The report claims he was wounded in a separate Israeli strike on a government compound near one of the group’s military headquarters.

The Houthis have maintained total silence regarding al-Atifi’s fate, and he has not been seen publicly for several months, notably missing the funeral of Houthi Chief of Staff Mohammed Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, who was also reportedly killed in the same wave of Israeli attacks.

Al-Atifi, 56, is regarded as one of the Houthis’ most skilled missile engineers, credited with rebuilding their rocket forces and advancing their ballistic capabilities using remnants of Yemen’s former army arsenal. He remains under U.S. and U.K. sanctions and is listed on Saudi Arabia’s terrorism watchlist. His last known public appearance was in April.