Yemen announced on Thursday that Major General Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, chief of staff of the Ansarullah-led Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), was killed in an Israeli airstrike “while fulfilling his duties” in defense of Gaza.

The strike also claimed the lives of several officers and al-Ghamari’s 13-year-old son, Hussein.

Yemen has appointed Major General Yusuf Hassan al-Madani as his successor.

Following the announcement, Israel publicly asserted responsibility for the strike, with War Minister Israel Katz declaring that al-Ghamari had been targeted in an Israeli operation.

In their statement, the YAF emphasized their confrontation with Israel is far from over, warning that Israel would “receive its deterrent punishment for the crimes it has committed.”  

Israel said in August that it had carried out air raids on Sanaa, striking senior Yemeni officials. Those attacks, which Israel said included al-Ghamari among the intended targets, killed Yemen’s prime minister along with several cabinet members.

Al-Ghamari is the highest-ranking Yemeni commander killed since 2023, when Yemen began targeting Israeli naval assets in response to the war on Gaza.

The YAF reports more than 750 operations against Israeli-linked targets.