Houthis mourn military chief killed in Israeli airstrike

Yemen's Houthi rebels held a funeral Monday for their military chief of staff who was killed in a recent Israeli strike, with more than 1,000 mourners and supporters gathered for the ceremony in Sanaa.

The Iranian-backed rebel group acknowledged last week that the senior Houthi officer, Maj. Gen. Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, was killed in an Israeli airstrike along with other top rebel leaders.

The Houthis did not say when the strike took place but the officer's death further escalating tensions between the group and Israel.

The funeral comes as a fragile U.S.-proposed ceasefire aimed at ending two years of war is holding in the Gaza Strip and nearly two months after Israeli airstrikes killed senior Houthi government officials in Sanaa, including their prime minister, Ahmed al-Rahawi, and several other ministers.

The Houthis said al-Ghamari was killed along with his 13-year-old son Hussain and "several of his companions," according to the rebel-controlled SABA news agency, which didn't provide further details.

Funeral prayers inside a mosque in Sabeen Square in Sanaa were attended by hundreds, with many more gathered outside the mosque, where the caskets of al-Ghamari and his son were placed on military vehicles.

In the crowd, his picture was held high in tribute, while several mourners wore sashes bearing his image and Yemeni and Palestinian flags.

The United Nations sanctioned al-Ghamari for reportedly playing "the leading role in orchestrating the Houthis' military efforts that are directly threatening the peace, security and stability of Yemen, as well as cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia."

The United States and Israel began their air and naval campaign against the Houthis in response to the rebels' missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis targeted ships in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods pass each year.