Pentagon Acknowledges 153 Civilian Deaths In US Yemen Strikes

WASHINGTON: (News Desk) – The Pentagon has acknowledged that US military operations in Yemen last year killed 153 civilians and injured 243 others, according to a report submitted to Congress and obtained by US media.

The casualties occurred during the US campaign against Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, known as Operation Rough Rider, which ran from March to May 2025.

According to the Pentagon assessment, three strikes in April accounted for all of the civilian casualties formally confirmed in the report. The military concluded that, “more likely than not,” five civilians were killed near Sanaa on April 6, 80 people died near Ras Isa Port on April 17, and another 68 were killed near Saada on April 28.

The figures differ from the details in the supplied report, which stated that 47 people were killed near Saada. The Pentagon’s newly reported assessment puts the April 28 death toll at 68, bringing the confirmed civilian deaths from the three incidents to 153.

The Pentagon said its assessments relied on US intelligence, imagery and publicly available information. Investigators did not conduct site visits or interviews as part of the assessment.

The April 17 attack on the Ras Isa port had already drawn international scrutiny over civilian casualties and damage to port infrastructure. Human Rights Watch said the strike should be investigated as a possible war crime.

The Pentagon report also identified 15 additional incidents in Yemen that remain under review following reports of possible civilian casualties.

The newly disclosed figures provide a formal US government assessment of civilian harm from the 2025 Yemen campaign and represent a significantly higher toll than the two civilian deaths and two injuries recorded from US military operations in 2024.