Arif Ali Abdo al-Samhi
Killed by Israeli airstrikes on the newspaper complex in Sanaa.
On 10 September 2025, the Israeli military carried out targeted airstrikes on the headquarters that housed 26 September and Al-Yemen newspapers — part of what they described as operations against “Houthi military / public relations / propaganda” infrastructure. According to CPJ and multiple press-freedom organizations, the strikes impacted civilian journalists and media staff who worked at the complex. The building was heavily damaged: offices, presses, archives and related facilities were destroyed. Dozens of staff — including journalists, editors, printers, and other support workers — were killed or injured. The magnitude and lethal impact of the strike — reportedly with multiple missiles — has been described by Yemeni media sources and CPJ as a massacre of journalists.
Biography
Arif Ali Abdo al-Samhi was a Yemeni media worker employed by the newspapers 26 September and Al‑Yemen. He worked at those media outlets in the capital, Sanaa. On 10 September 2025, during a major Israeli airstrike on the newspapers’ offices, he was among the dozens of journalists and media-support workers killed — the attack is considered one of the deadliest ever against journalists globally.
Al-Samhi worked for 26 September and Al-Yemen — both publications tied to the Houthi-controlled “Moral Guidance Directorate” media infrastructure. According to the investigative group Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), on 10 September 2025, multiple Israeli airstrikes hit the newspapers’ headquarters in Sanaa at around 4:45 p.m. while staff were finalizing a weekly edition. The building — including offices, printing presses and archives — was destroyed. The strike caused “massive explosions,” and many bodies, including some of journalists, were reportedly buried under rubble. The scope and suddenness of the attack made it one of the deadliest single events for media workers in recent history.
Sources & References
As of December 1, 2025, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 249 journalists and media workers were among the more than tens of thousands killed in Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Israel, and Iran since the Israel-Gaza war began, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.1 cpj.org Open source
Killed by Israeli attacks. The deadliest massacre of journalists since the Maguindanao massacre.2 en.wikipedia.org Open source