Shafaq News – Sanaa (Updated at 18:06)
Yemen’s Houthi movement (Ansarallah) confirmed on Thursday the death of its Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, along with his 13-year-old son and several bodyguards.
The Houthi statement did not disclose details about the circumstances of al-Ghamari’s death and made no direct accusation against Israel, despite earlier reports linking him to the alleged attack.
A prominent figure within the group, al-Ghamari served as the Houthis’ top field commander and a close aide to leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. He had held the position since 2016, following his promotion to major general.
According to the group’s military media, the Supreme Political Council appointed Major General Yusuf Hassan Ismail al-Madani as his successor under a decree issued by the head of the Council.
The confirmation came days after Israel’s public broadcaster reported that al-Ghamari had been seriously wounded in an alleged Israeli strike targeting a secret meeting in Sanaa.
Since October 2023, the Houthis have launched multiple drone and missile attacks on Israel, describing the operations as part of their campaign in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Who is al-Ghamari?
Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Ghamari was one of the most prominent military leaders of Yemen’s Houthi movement (Ansarallah), widely regarded as the group’s top military commander after leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
A major general by rank, al-Ghamari served as Chief of Staff of the armed forces affiliated with the Houthis and was considered the main liaison between the group and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, particularly in matters of field coordination and military support.
Born in the Daa’an area of Washhah district in Yemen’s Hajjah province, al-Ghamari joined the Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi Institute in 2003, where he received religious and ideological training. In 2012, he traveled to Lebanon for advanced courses provided by Hezbollah, and later to Iran for specialized training in ballistic missile systems and combat tactics.
He rose through the ranks of the Houthi structure, serving successively as the group’s military supervisor in Hajjah, field commander in Hodeidah, and security official in Sanaa. In December 2016, al-Ghamari was appointed Chief of Staff in the unrecognized “National Salvation Government,” overseeing planning and coordination of the group’s military operations, including cross-border attacks.
Since late 2023, his name has been associated with Houthi naval and drone operations targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and with attacks on Israel. The US Treasury Department sanctioned him in May 2021 for actions “threatening Yemen’s security and stability,” and the United Nations added him later that year to its sanctions list under Security Council Resolutions 2140 and 2216.
In June 2024, US media reported that Israel had attempted to assassinate al-Ghamari by bombing a meeting of the Houthi Supreme Military Council in Sanaa. Yemeni sources at the time said the target of that strike was al-Ghamari himself.