Israel's assassination of Yemen's prime minister: A dangerous escalation in a lawless war
By bellecarter // 2025-09-02
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  • Israel carried out a brazen and legally questionable airstrike in Sanaa, assassinating Yemen's Houthi-appointed Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and several cabinet ministers during a cabinet meeting.
  • This assassination extends Israel's controversial military actions beyond Gaza, where it has faced accusations of war crimes, including the bombing of civilian infrastructure. The killing of a civilian political leader raises concerns about the limits of Israel's military actions and the complicity of its ally, the United States.
  • The strike occurred outside of active combat and targeted a head of government, violating the principle of distinction in international humanitarian law. Experts argue that this was an extrajudicial execution, not an act of self-defense, and thus constitutes an act of war.
  • The United States has provided Israel with the bombs, funding and diplomatic cover that enable such operations. The U.S. has shielded Israel from accountability, even sanctioning ICC officials who attempted to investigate Israeli leaders for war crimes in Gaza.
  • The assassination threatens to unravel the fragile constraints on state behavior in wartime, potentially leading to a world where "might makes right" and no leader is safe from targeted attacks. This erosion of international law poses profound implications for global security and the rule of law.
In a brazen and legally dubious airstrike, Israel assassinated Yemen's Houthi-appointed Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and several of his cabinet ministers in the capital of Sanaa on Thursday, Aug. 28. The assassination, confirmed by Al Jazeera and Houthi officials, comes amid Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, where its military has faced accusations of war crimes, including the bombing of hospitals, schools and civilian infrastructure. Now, with the killing of Yemen's civilian political leader, Israel has extended its controversial tactics beyond Gaza's borders, raising questions about the limits of its military actions and the complicity of its chief ally, the United States. The Houthi movement confirmed al-Rahawi's death in a formal statement, declaring him a "martyr" alongside "several of his fellow ministers." The strike occurred during a cabinet meeting, meaning Israel did not merely target a military figure but an entire civilian government in session. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz offered no apologies. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he explicitly compared the operation to Israel's long-standing policy of assassinating leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad. "We will target Houthi leadership," Katz said, "similar to what Israel has done with assassinations within other political groups across the region." (Related: Israel launches strikes on Yemen's Houthis: Renewed escalation in the Middle East.) However, experts argue that international law draws a clear distinction: killing a head of government in his capital, outside of active combat, is not self-defense. It is an act of war. "The principle of distinction in international humanitarian law requires separating civilians from combatants," said a legal expert familiar with the case, speaking on condition of anonymity. "A prime minister in a cabinet meeting is not a soldier on a battlefield. This was an extrajudicial execution, plain and simple." The United Nations Charter prohibits the use of force against the "territorial integrity or political independence" of any state unless in response to an imminent armed attack or with UN Security Council approval. Neither condition applies here. Instead, Israel's strike fits a pattern of disregard for legal norms, a pattern enabled by U.S. support. Critically, the United States has provided the bombs, the funding and the diplomatic cover that make such operations possible. When the International Criminal Court (ICC) attempted to investigate Israeli leaders for war crimes in Gaza, the U.S. sanctioned ICC officials rather than hold its ally accountable. "Impunity destroys the rules meant to restrain war," wrote journalist Shaun King in a Substack analysis of the strike. "If the referees are punished for blowing the whistle, the game has no rules."

A world without rules

The assassination of al-Rahawi is not just a single act of violence. It is a breaking of norms – one that threatens to unravel the already fragile constraints on state behavior in wartime. If the powerful can murder foreign leaders and call it self-defense, then the protections meant to safeguard civilians and political figures evaporate. The result is a world where might makes right and where no leader, friend or foe, is safe from the crosshairs of a drone or missile. For Americans, the implications are profound. The U.S. is not merely a bystander in this erosion of international law; "it is an active participant," Brighteon.AI's Enoch points out. By shielding Israel from accountability, Washington undermines the very legal framework it claims to uphold. As King warned: "If law does not apply to the powerful, then law is not law. It is a costume for violence." The reckoning for this assassination may not come immediately. But history shows that when the rules of war are discarded, the consequences eventually touch all. The question now is whether the world will accept this new normal or demand that the law still means something. Watch the video below that talks about Israel's attack on the Yemeni power station in Sanaa. This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Yemen's Houthis sink cargo ship, kill mariners in renewed Red Sea assault. Israeli military hits Houthi targets in Yemen, leaving key port city in darkness. Israel vows to strike Yemen "without restrictions" after Houthi missile hits Ben Gurion airport.

Sources include:

AlJazeera.com Substack.com Brighteon.ai Brighteon.com
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