Pentagon finally admits: US strikes killed 153 civilians in Yemen in three attacks last year, 15 more incidents still under review
For months, the human cost of America’s bombing campaign in Yemen stayed mostly hidden behind official statements about hitting Houthi targets. Now the Pentagon has put a number on it, and it’s a hard one to look away from.
A Pentagon assessment sent to congressional defense committees this week found that US military strikes killed 153 civilians and injured more than 200 others in three separate strikes across Yemen last year. All three of those strikes happened in April 2025.
This isn’t the full picture yet either. The Pentagon says it is still reviewing 15 other incidents in Yemen for possible civilian casualties, meaning the final toll could climb higher once those reviews wrap up.
Why this assessment matters
This marks new territory for the Pentagon in terms of transparency. The findings represent the Pentagon’s first acknowledgment of just how significant the civilian death toll became during the bombing campaign against Iran backed Houthi forces.
The campaign itself had a name and a clear timeline. President Trump ordered the operation in March 2025, aiming to stop Houthi attacks on commercial and military vessels moving through and around the Red Sea. Officially dubbed Operation Rough Rider, the 53 day campaign targeted Houthi leaders, weapons systems and other military infrastructure scattered across Yemen.
Despite acknowledging the deaths, the Pentagon framed its record in largely positive terms. The report states that US forces remain steadfastly committed to limiting harm to civilians, and claims the Department of War has a strong record of compliance with the law of war.
Whether that framing holds up against the raw numbers is something lawmakers and rights groups will likely keep pressing on, especially with more incidents still under review.
A separate, deadlier incident draws scrutiny too
This Yemen report isn’t the only civilian casualty controversy the Pentagon is facing right now. The timing coincides with growing scrutiny from Democrats over a deadly school bombing that occurred during the opening days of the war with Iran.
That incident was especially devastating. On February 28, the first day of what was called Operation Epic Fury, missiles struck an Iranian girls’ elementary school in Minab, killing around 175 people, the vast majority of them children. Reporting from New York Times has suggested US Tomahawk missile was responsible for the strike. That incident remains under investigation, though US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper addressed it publicly back in May.
A campaign with a long, contested casualty count
The three strikes named in this new Pentagon assessment are just one piece of a much larger campaign that ran for weeks. Independent monitoring throughout that campaign painted a far grimmer picture than official channels initially confirmed. One tracking effort by Airwars estimated 224 civilians killed during the broader March to May 2025 campaign against the Houthis.
Numbers from Yemeni health officials told a similar story throughout the bombardment. Yemen’s Ministry of Health reported in April 2025 that US attacks had killed at least 123 people, mostly civilians, since mid March, with 247 others injured, including many women and children. By late April, Houthi affiliated media were reporting the death toll had climbed past 250 people, following strikes that hit a migrant detention center and parts of the capital, Sanaa.
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