Israel Assassinates Yemen’s Prime Minister While Media Fixates on Charlie Kirk

[00:00:03] [Music] [00:00:08] What's up everyone? Manar Adley here, [00:00:11] founder and director of Mit Press News. [00:00:13] Charlie Kirk's assassination has [00:00:16] dominated the headlines around the [00:00:17] world, and both media and politicians [00:00:20] are climbing over themselves to denounce [00:00:22] the shooter and claiming there's no room [00:00:24] in this country for political violence. [00:00:27] Yet just days ago, Israel assassinated a [00:00:31] foreign head of state, killing Prime [00:00:33] Minister Ahmedas al-Rawi of Yemen. Now, [00:00:37] you would be forgiven not to have heard [00:00:39] about this news because it was barely a [00:00:42] blip on the radar within Western [00:00:44] corporate media. In fact, the far-right [00:00:47] influencers killing generated probably [00:00:50] 100 times the coverage of the [00:00:52] assassination of a foreign head of [00:00:54] state. MSNBC went an entire year without [00:00:58] even mentioning Yemen, a country that [00:01:02] has been ravaged by a USbacked Saudi [00:01:05] bombing campaign, illegal siege, and [00:01:09] famine crisis that has hit 23 million [00:01:13] people. But this media blackout is on [00:01:16] purpose. Since November of 2023, Yemen [00:01:20] has enacted the Red Sea blockade, [00:01:24] stopping Israeli and allied vessels from [00:01:26] entering the shipping channel in an [00:01:28] effort to end the genocide in Gaz. Now [00:01:32] this has earned them the label of course [00:01:34] of terrorists across much of corporate [00:01:37] media who when they discuss Yemen and [00:01:39] its ruling coalition on law constantly [00:01:42] remind us that they are Iranbacked or [00:01:45] Shia militias as if Iranians or Shia [00:01:48] lives don't matter. But here's why Yemen [00:01:51] has been targeted with assassinations [00:01:52] and why the media try to delegitimize [00:01:56] them. Yemen's Red Sea blockade to [00:01:58] pressure Israel to end its genocide in [00:02:00] Gaza has completely devastated Israel's [00:02:03] economy and hit its billionaire ruling [00:02:06] class where it hurts. First, one of the [00:02:09] ships that Yemen seized was the galaxy [00:02:13] leader owned by Israeli billionaire [00:02:15] Abraham Ungar, a close ally of the Lud [00:02:19] party. Now, Israeli ships like these are [00:02:22] accused of carrying weapons to smuggle [00:02:25] into Iran for targeted assassinations [00:02:27] and sabotage. I did an entire report and [00:02:31] documentary on this very subject on the [00:02:33] galaxy leader and its seizure for Mint [00:02:36] Press News. So, make sure to check it [00:02:38] out on our YouTube channel and on our [00:02:40] website. Now, the success of the Red Sea [00:02:43] blockade doesn't even stop there. It has [00:02:45] already devastated Israel's economy, [00:02:48] collapsing revenue of Israel's elat by [00:02:52] 80%. That is massive. And if you're [00:02:55] wondering why Israel hasn't targeted [00:02:57] other leaders in the region, it's [00:02:59] because the Gulf monarchies and Egypt [00:03:03] are all helping Israel bypass Yemen's [00:03:05] blockade, something we've been reporting [00:03:07] on for the last 2 years. So only Yemen [00:03:11] has made Israel pay a very heavy [00:03:15] economic price for its genocide in Gaza [00:03:18] and that's why they've been singled out [00:03:20] with bombings and assassinations. New [00:03:23] Israeli air strikes against Yemen just [00:03:25] in the last 3 days have killed dozens of [00:03:28] people including 20 journalists and [00:03:30] injured hundreds more. So what does this [00:03:32] all mean for the region and what are we [00:03:34] hearing on the ground from other people [00:03:37] there? To answer these questions and [00:03:39] more, I'm joined by Abdul Latif Al- [00:03:41] Lashali. He is an independent Yemeni [00:03:44] journalist. But before we get into that [00:03:46] interview, I just want to make a special [00:03:49] announcement that Mint Press News is [00:03:51] facing a financial crisis. After 14 [00:03:55] years of providing fearless independent [00:03:58] investigative journalist journalism that [00:04:00] holds the military-industrial [00:04:02] accountable, we're now at risk of [00:04:03] shutting down. We have been banned from [00:04:05] PayPal, algorithmically blacklisted from [00:04:07] Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Tik Tok, [00:04:10] and have had our main line of funding [00:04:13] now cut off. And that's why we're asking [00:04:15] you, our viewers and readers, the [00:04:18] lifeblood of our organization who've [00:04:20] been with us for 14 years, to support [00:04:21] Mint Press News as we challenge, [00:04:24] continue to challenge and scrutinize [00:04:26] empire, imperialism, and the [00:04:28] military-industrial complex. We have a [00:04:30] campaign right now on Indiegogo and I [00:04:33] hope that you will join us today. All [00:04:36] right, back to Yemen. Abd ali, [00:04:40] welcome to the show. [00:04:41] >> Thank you so much for having me. [00:04:43] >> Thank you for being patient for my very [00:04:45] long introduction. Um, so we have seen a [00:04:49] new intensity to the Israeli strikes on [00:04:51] Yemen. What is the mood like inside of [00:04:54] the country? [00:04:56] >> This escalation is unmistakable. Israel [00:04:59] may have believed that its attacks will [00:05:01] intimidate the Yemeni people, will [00:05:03] destabilize Yemen, but the opposite has [00:05:06] happened. The Yemenes today are more [00:05:08] insistent than ever. They insist to [00:05:11] stand with the Palestinian people [00:05:13] despite all the Israeli crimes committed [00:05:15] against the Yemeni people. Today, [00:05:17] Yemenes when they go to the streets, [00:05:18] when they stand with Palestine, when [00:05:20] they even join the Yemeni armed forces [00:05:23] for armed struggle, they are more [00:05:25] powerful than ever. The attacks did the [00:05:29] opposite to the Yemeni people. Yemenes [00:05:31] are not afraid. They will keep [00:05:32] supporting the Palestinian people. We [00:05:34] have maybe tens of people, dozens of [00:05:38] people in the recent crime against [00:05:41] Yemenes here in the capital. the Friday [00:05:45] after that uh maybe it was the largest [00:05:48] demonstration when [00:05:51] tens of thousands of Yemenes [00:05:54] went to the streets and they said that [00:05:56] they will keep supporting Palestine even [00:05:58] if they the Israeli entity keep killing [00:06:02] the Yemeni people. The Yemeni blood is [00:06:04] now mixed with the Palestinian blood. [00:06:07] And only two weeks ago, Israel [00:06:09] assassinated Prime Minister Ahmed Galb [00:06:12] Naser al-Rawi. [00:06:14] To what extent did this shock the [00:06:17] country? I mean, not only he was killed, [00:06:18] but his cabinet was killed as well. How [00:06:21] has the government responded to losing [00:06:23] its figurehead? [00:06:25] >> Yeah, it was a shock for the Yemen [00:06:26] people. On August 28th, 2025, the prime [00:06:30] minister Ahmed Rawi and several cabinet [00:06:32] ministers were killed in an Israeli [00:06:34] strike against it was a shock for the [00:06:37] Yemeni people, but at the same time, it [00:06:39] was a clear message from Israel that [00:06:42] everyone now is targeted. It's not just [00:06:43] a war against Gaza or against Yemen. [00:06:46] It's a war against the entire region. So [00:06:48] such attack and such a crime should [00:06:50] unite the entire Arab world to stand [00:06:53] against the Israel the Israeli entity. [00:06:56] They should be united, you know, to [00:06:58] stand against these crimes, these [00:07:00] violations. You know, the prime minister [00:07:02] and the ministers were civilians just [00:07:06] like me and everyone else here in the [00:07:07] country and they were targeted. So, it [00:07:09] was a clear violation of international [00:07:11] law and it was a clear message for the [00:07:13] entire region that everyone is targeted. [00:07:16] Uh, today the Israeli strikes are [00:07:18] against him and tomorrow they will be [00:07:20] against uh other countries in the [00:07:22] region. So, it was a clear message. You [00:07:25] know this attack may have pushed the [00:07:28] country to the point of near collapse [00:07:30] but Yemenes moved on. They are back in [00:07:35] their government. They are back in the [00:07:37] Yemeni armed forces after the attack. Uh [00:07:40] said Muhammad Mtah the deputy prime [00:07:42] minister who survived. He um went out [00:07:46] and said that they will not stop [00:07:48] supporting Palestine. This attack has [00:07:50] united the Yemenes more than ever and [00:07:53] they will not stop providing Yemenes [00:07:55] essential services and I believe that [00:07:58] the attack has not weakened the Yemeni [00:08:01] people and said it has strengthened the [00:08:04] will of the Yemeni people in supporting [00:08:05] Palestine. [00:08:06] >> Now just 3 days ago the most recent [00:08:09] Israeli air strikes also targeted Yemeni [00:08:12] media outlets killing a number of [00:08:14] journalists. What can you tell us about [00:08:17] the incident? The media here has barely [00:08:20] reported on it at all. [00:08:22] >> On September 10th, 2025, an Israeli [00:08:25] strike hit the modal guidance building [00:08:27] alongside 26 September journal. Uh there [00:08:31] were several air strikes. It's a very [00:08:33] populated area. It's a very crowded [00:08:35] area. It's downtown. Uh there is a bus [00:08:38] stop near to this building. Uh I was [00:08:40] there, you know, I believe 15 minutes [00:08:43] before the attack. I walk by that street [00:08:46] every single day. All the people were [00:08:48] there. It was a crowded day, even more. [00:08:51] And unfortunately, the attack happened. [00:08:54] Dozens of people were killed. I believe [00:08:56] until the moment there are 45 people and [00:08:58] over 150 injured. All of them are [00:09:01] civilians. Uh passers by, people who [00:09:05] were just uh you know taking the bus to [00:09:07] go to some place. Some of them I I I [00:09:11] knew. One of them was a journalist [00:09:13] called Abd Aziz A. He was a dear friend. [00:09:16] He was just discussing his master's [00:09:18] degree but he was killed in this strike. [00:09:21] This place is open. Everyone knows the [00:09:24] moral guidance building. So it's [00:09:26] impossible for the leaders for the [00:09:29] Houthi leaders the Houthi figures to be [00:09:31] there at the moment of the attack. They [00:09:33] will never go to that place. This place [00:09:35] is full of civilians only. And also the [00:09:39] uh houses near to the moral guidance [00:09:42] building were hit. their houses full of [00:09:44] civilians of people ali they were killed [00:09:48] I believe 15 people of alhamdi they were [00:09:51] killed in this attack so it was a clear [00:09:54] crime a clear violation of international [00:09:56] law it was a a massive crime one of the [00:09:59] deadliest attacks of Israel against Iran [00:10:02] but unfortunately until the moment we've [00:10:06] not seen anyone condemning this attack [00:10:08] even the media outlets did not report it [00:10:11] as you mentioned no one they are turning [00:10:13] turning a blind eye to the Israeli [00:10:15] crimes in Yemen and we are still [00:10:16] wondering why why is this happening. [00:10:19] Israel is killing dozens of civilians in [00:10:22] Yemen and no one is reporting that. Uh [00:10:24] but I believe that is not the problem [00:10:27] for the Yemeni people. They will keep [00:10:29] standing with Palestine and we've seen [00:10:31] people who survived the attack. They [00:10:33] were full of dust saying that this [00:10:36] attack will not stop them from [00:10:37] supporting Palestine and they feel like [00:10:40] they're now part of Gaza more than ever. [00:10:43] >> The Red Sea blockade has completely [00:10:46] devastated Israel's economy with the [00:10:49] Elat port filing for bankruptcy and [00:10:51] losing about 80% of its revenue. Does [00:10:55] Yemen see its blockade as having an [00:10:58] impact um to make a difference for the [00:11:01] people of Gaza? And in what other ways [00:11:04] is this affecting Israel? [00:11:06] >> The Ritzy blockade has shaken the [00:11:07] foundation of Israeli economy. You know, [00:11:09] Israel depends on Shabban in its economy [00:11:13] and Yemenes know that and they have [00:11:15] taken the advantage of shoring the Red [00:11:18] Sea. The Yemeni armed forces have [00:11:20] attacked or seized Israeli linked [00:11:24] vessels. uh you know galaxy leader was [00:11:27] seized and uh other uh ships were [00:11:29] attacked and drowned uh in Yemen attacks [00:11:33] uh you know Elatport has declared its [00:11:35] bank bankruptcy. They have stopped [00:11:37] operating. They have stopped receiving [00:11:40] any ships and any merchandise. They do [00:11:43] nothing at the moment. So Yemenes have [00:11:45] succeeded in blocking Israeli shipping [00:11:48] routes. the uh Yemen attacks and the [00:11:51] Yemeni army has been attacking and using [00:11:55] um their new developed and locally [00:11:58] domestically developed developed weapons [00:12:01] in their attacks and this has surprised [00:12:04] not only the United States or Israel. [00:12:06] This has surprised the entire world. [00:12:08] Yemen has entered in a direct [00:12:12] battle with the US and Israel and you [00:12:15] know the US administration has entirely [00:12:18] failed to stop the Yemeni attacks [00:12:21] against the Israeli vessels otherwise or [00:12:25] I believe that instead the Yemeni army [00:12:27] has escalated its attacks in that period [00:12:30] of time when the US was trying or [00:12:33] attempting to stop the Yemenes from [00:12:35] attacking these attacks. So you know uh [00:12:38] the other uh impact was that the uh [00:12:41] insurance you know the rates of [00:12:43] insurance has uh doubled uh tripled [00:12:46] quadrupled. Yemenis have succeeded in [00:12:49] blocking and impacting the Israeli [00:12:51] economy. So they know how to hurt the [00:12:55] Israeli uh enemy. They know how to do [00:12:58] that and they have succeeded. And you [00:13:00] know we uh or I believe that the country [00:13:03] here Yemen was in a war with Saudi [00:13:05] Arabia uh for a long time you know 10 [00:13:07] years or four but they have never used [00:13:10] the card of the Red Sea. have never [00:13:12] attacked anyone in the Red Sea for 10 [00:13:14] years. They are um the S Saudi Arabia [00:13:17] with backing from Washington and even [00:13:20] Israel they are waging a war against the [00:13:22] country blocking the country starving [00:13:25] the Yemeni people but the leadership [00:13:27] here did not use the card of the Red Sea [00:13:30] that they did never um attack even [00:13:33] Israel linked vessels in that period of [00:13:35] time. But when it comes to Palestine, [00:13:37] when it comes to a direct uh war, a [00:13:40] direct genocide being um impacted or [00:13:45] implemented from Israel against our [00:13:47] people in Palestine, the Yemen [00:13:49] leadership decided now to take the [00:13:52] advantage of shoring the Red Sea, to [00:13:55] attack Israeli linked vessels, to hurt [00:13:59] the Israeli enemy for the sake of uh [00:14:02] saving our people in Palestine. The [00:14:05] media loves to talk about Yemen through [00:14:07] a sectarian lens to dehumanize the [00:14:10] people there. And while Yemen has been [00:14:12] the target of sectarianism by the United [00:14:15] States, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, tell [00:14:18] me more about how the people of Yemen [00:14:20] have united and even Saudi aligned [00:14:22] forces putting down their arms to join [00:14:25] Allah to support Gaza. You know, every [00:14:28] Friday thousands and thousands and tens [00:14:31] of thousands of Yemenes they gather in [00:14:35] several cities and squares to say we [00:14:39] will stand with Palestine in the in many [00:14:44] cities. They gather in the streets. They [00:14:47] go to the streets to say that they will [00:14:48] keep standing with Palestine. They will [00:14:50] support uh Palestine no matter the [00:14:52] coast. though uh Yemenes um are united [00:14:56] when it comes to Palestine and we've [00:14:57] been living for thousands of years with [00:15:00] no problem. Searism is something new for [00:15:03] the Yemeni people. It was exported to us [00:15:05] by Saudi Arabia. But as I lived and [00:15:09] everyone knows that we've been living [00:15:11] together from the north from Sa toen [00:15:14] from to we are all one society. We are [00:15:20] uh tied with social bonds. The the man [00:15:24] from can marry a woman from the south. [00:15:27] The man from the south can marry a woman [00:15:30] from the east. We have no problems when [00:15:32] it comes to that. So this was uh I [00:15:35] believe this ideological issue was [00:15:38] exported to the Yemenes by Saudi Arabia [00:15:41] and the US administration to impact the [00:15:46] social uh bonds in Yemen. You know they [00:15:49] could not um break the Yemenes. They [00:15:52] they couldn't do anything to the Yemen [00:15:55] people. Now they're using this new um [00:15:59] this new issue. They are trying to [00:16:01] impact the Yemen people. Um I believe [00:16:03] that the love of Palestine is uh [00:16:06] something essential for every Yemeni. We [00:16:10] were raised on the love of Palestine [00:16:12] since our childhood. I believe I believe [00:16:15] when I was and I remember when I was a [00:16:17] child, we were raised on the love of [00:16:19] Palestine and also [00:16:30] Palestine. um any war will be waged [00:16:33] against Yemenes whether by the US or by [00:16:38] the neighboring countries who are [00:16:39] supported by the US and Israel will not [00:16:41] break the Yemen people. They will keep [00:16:43] standing the Palestine. Now the blood of [00:16:45] the Yemeni people is mixed with the [00:16:47] Palestinian people. We are one people, [00:16:50] one cause. Yemenes will continue [00:16:52] standing with Palestine until victory [00:16:53] inshallah. [00:16:55] And now for over a decade, Yemen has [00:16:57] been under attack from a Saudiled [00:16:59] coalition, causing untold hardship on [00:17:02] the country. In fact, until the Gaza [00:17:04] genocide, the United Nations actually [00:17:06] called Yemen the world's worst [00:17:08] humanitarian crisis. 23 million people [00:17:11] in Yemen are starving right now. How is [00:17:15] the humanitarian situation in Yemen [00:17:17] today? You know for 10 years the Saudi [00:17:19] le coalition which was backed by [00:17:21] Washington was waging a war against [00:17:23] Yemen and they have targeted everything. [00:17:25] They have destroyed the infrastructure. [00:17:27] They've targeted factories, airports, [00:17:30] schools, hospitals, houses, roads, [00:17:33] everything was targeted during the 10 [00:17:35] years war and uh you know the United [00:17:38] Nations called Yemen the world's worst [00:17:40] humanitarian crisis and the situation [00:17:43] was very very bad and very dire. Um you [00:17:46] know now after 10 years the situation is [00:17:49] more dire than ever. Trump's [00:17:50] administration pushed the United Nations [00:17:53] and all the uh humanitarian [00:17:55] organizations to stop supporting the [00:17:56] Yemen people. They have cut the aid uh [00:17:59] that was provided for Yemenes. You know [00:18:02] uh I believe that 80% of Yemenes or [00:18:05] maybe more depend on humanitarian [00:18:07] assistance. They don't have even food um [00:18:11] which is essential you know uh for the [00:18:13] uh people to keep living but they don't [00:18:17] have it anymore but you know the people [00:18:19] here are attempting to do their best to [00:18:22] keep living to do the whatever they can [00:18:25] do to stand against the Israeli [00:18:27] occupation. Uh I believe that uh the [00:18:31] situation now after 10 years of [00:18:32] bombardment and now entering a new phase [00:18:34] which is an Israeli war against the [00:18:36] country. Now the situation will maybe [00:18:39] get worse. Uh you know Israel has [00:18:41] targeted civilians directly as we've uh [00:18:44] mentioned in the previously uh they have [00:18:47] attacked the civilians. They have [00:18:49] attacked Rasa port and was it was full [00:18:52] of workers of truck drivers. It was a [00:18:55] massive crime. So now Yemenes are [00:18:58] entering a new face of hardships a new [00:19:01] face of humanitarian crisis. But uh I [00:19:05] believe this will not break the Yemen [00:19:06] people. They managed to uh survive for [00:19:10] 10 years of war and they will be able [00:19:12] inshallah to keep surviving uh the new [00:19:15] face of war. [00:19:16] >> I think a lot of people are curious to [00:19:18] know what is Yemen's official policy [00:19:21] towards countries like Saudi Arabia, [00:19:24] Bahin, the UAE and Egypt who are [00:19:27] actively assisting Israel to circumvent [00:19:30] the Yemen Red Sea blockade during this [00:19:33] genocide. I mean, they're even helping [00:19:34] Israel and ensuring that Israel receives [00:19:37] its shipments of weapons. [00:19:39] >> Yeah. You know, when Israel launched a [00:19:41] war against Gaza, Yemenes did what they [00:19:43] can do, did their best, which is [00:19:45] imposing a maritime blockade on Israel. [00:19:48] But uh there have been reports that [00:19:50] there is a landline from uh the United [00:19:52] Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia to Jordan [00:19:55] and then to Israel to provide the [00:19:57] Israelis with their uh essential needs. [00:20:00] And I've even heard that they're [00:20:02] bringing fresh tomatoes to the Israelis. [00:20:06] U maybe uh I believe that now it's the [00:20:08] rule of the people's because who is [00:20:11] supporting the uh Israeli regime is the [00:20:14] Arab regimes. You know the regimes, not [00:20:16] the people. I believe now it's now the [00:20:18] rule of the people to stand and say [00:20:20] something. I'm not asking them and we're [00:20:22] not urging them to have an armed [00:20:24] struggle against the regimes. We're not [00:20:26] calling for chaos. just to raise your [00:20:29] voices to say something that uh this is [00:20:32] wrong, what is happening is wrong. Tell [00:20:34] your regimes that they can't do this, [00:20:36] they can't support the Israeli enemy. [00:20:39] They can't elevate the impact of the [00:20:42] Yemeni blockade on the Israeli maritime. [00:20:45] Uh it's now your turn to raise your [00:20:48] voice. We've been seen peoples in Europe [00:20:51] raising their voices, going to the [00:20:53] streets, uh having protests, saying [00:20:55] they're saying no. They're saying no to [00:20:58] the regimes and they are Europeans. They [00:21:00] are not even Muslims. And unfortunately, [00:21:03] we are seeing uh the Muslim world [00:21:05] turning a blind eye to the suffering of [00:21:07] our people in Gaza. And we have seen [00:21:11] incredible displays of support and [00:21:13] solidarity with Palestine across the [00:21:15] world. But probably none have been as [00:21:17] large or as intense as those in Yemen. [00:21:20] It was reported that over 1 million [00:21:21] people participated in one march in SA. [00:21:25] So why is it that Yemen displays such [00:21:28] solidarity with Palestine? [00:21:31] >> Yeah. You know, every Friday since the [00:21:32] beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza, [00:21:34] every Friday people have been going to [00:21:36] the streets. They go every week, every [00:21:39] Friday. Millions of people, not only in [00:21:42] the capital Salah, but in several [00:21:44] cities, they go to express their [00:21:46] solidarity with the Palestinian people [00:21:48] to uh to prove to the world that Yemenes [00:21:51] will continue supporting Palestine no [00:21:53] matter was the coast. So, uh why is that [00:21:56] happening? I believe that even uh that [00:22:00] this happens because the Yemeni people [00:22:02] have been alone when they were under war [00:22:05] and siege by Saudi Arabia and its allies [00:22:08] which was started in 2015. It was a [00:22:10] forgotten war. We've been alone. Yemenes [00:22:13] have been alone. They were facing the [00:22:16] Saudi war alone. Uh even the media was [00:22:20] turning a blind eye to the suffering of [00:22:22] the Yemeni people. And even it was even [00:22:25] though it was described by the United [00:22:26] Nations that it was the world's worst [00:22:28] humanitarian crisis, but no one did [00:22:30] anything for the Yemeni people. Now [00:22:32] Yemenes feel what the Palestinians now [00:22:36] are facing. So uh they go to the [00:22:39] streets. They they are trying to to [00:22:43] prove their support for Palestine with [00:22:46] every mean available. They will do [00:22:49] anything. They will sacrifice [00:22:50] themselves. Yemenes have even uh [00:22:53] expressed their readiness to join the [00:22:55] Yemeni army and to go to defend the [00:22:58] Palestinian lands to go and fight the [00:23:01] Israeli uh regime. So I believe that the [00:23:05] blood of the Yemeni people is mixed with [00:23:07] the Palestinian people. They're one [00:23:10] people, one cause and uh this will [00:23:13] continue until victory inshallah. [00:23:16] >> Abdul Latif, thank you so much for being [00:23:18] here today. I know it's been a difficult [00:23:20] week in week inside of Yemen with the [00:23:22] loss of so many journalists and uh [00:23:25] people and political figures, but we [00:23:28] appreciate your time and hope to have [00:23:30] you on again. Thank you. [00:23:32] >> Thank you so much for having me and for [00:23:33] this opportunity.