The Houthi terrorist organization officially announced Thursday that its military chief of staff, Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, has died.
During the war, Israel attempted twice to eliminate the Houthi chief of staff. In the first strike, which targeted Sana'a, he was wounded but survived. The second strike hit a meeting site linked to the Houthi government, which al-Ghamari was believed to have attended. In the days following the attack, the Houthis issued written statements in the name of their chief of staff in an apparent effort to create the impression that he was still alive. Now, the Yemeni terrorist organization has confirmed his death.
Al-Ghamari was regarded as one of the Houthis most senior military figures, rising to prominence during the terrorist organization's campaign to seize Saada Province and the Yemeni capital Sana'a between 2013 and 2014.
According to Arab sources, al-Ghamari was considered the second most powerful figure in the Houthi hierarchy. He received training from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and had longstanding ties with the Quds Force and its then-commander, Qassem Soleimani. Reports indicate that some of al-Ghamari's training took place inside Iran, where he was instructed in the development of ballistic missile systems.
He came under the regional spotlight after assuming the position of chief of staff of the Houthi armed forces, and was placed on Arab states' most-wanted lists in 2017. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza nearly two years ago, al-Ghamari has been seen as one of the key figures behind Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, as well as drone and ballistic missile launches targeting Israel.
Al-Ghamari was not only a military commander but also seen as an ideological figure within Ansar Allah, the group's official name. In 2003, he studied at one of the centers established by the group's former leader, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, who was later killed. During the Yemeni civil war, al-Ghamari became a close associate of the group's current leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
