Pentagon Confirms US Airstrikes in Yemen Killed 153 Civilians in 2025
Theo Al Jazeera
A Pentagon assessment confirmed that US airstrikes in Yemen in 2025 killed 153 civilians and wounded 243, all from three April strikes. The deadliest was an attack on Ras Isa port, killing 80 people.
A new US Defense Department (Pentagon) assessment reveals that American military airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen in 2025 killed 153 civilians and wounded 243 others. A US official disclosed this information on Tuesday, citing the assessment sent to Congress as part of the annual civilian casualty report.
According to the assessment, all civilian casualties recorded by the US military in 2025 stemmed from three airstrikes in April in Yemen, focusing on Houthi forces in the rebel-held capital Sanaa and the Ras Isa fuel port.
Among these, the attack on Ras Isa port was the most severe, killing 80 people and wounding 171 others. The airstrike created large fireballs and caused fuel tanker trucks at the port to ignite. Houthi media later broadcast footage of the scene with scattered bodies.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, had stated the attack aimed to cut off Houthi fuel supplies and revenue, asserting it was "not intended to harm the Yemeni people." However, the Pentagon assessment concluded that these three airstrikes "likely" caused civilian casualties, based on intelligence, satellite imagery, and public sources.
The report also said that compensation for the victims or their families was not appropriate, though it did not specify reasons. Such compensation is not required by US law and does not imply admission of wrongdoing, but it has been paid after previous US attacks that killed civilians, such as the 2021 airstrike in Afghanistan.
The 2025 casualty count marks a sharp rise from 2024, when the Pentagon assessed that US military operations killed only 2 civilians and wounded 2 others. The number may continue to grow, as CENTCOM is still reviewing 15 additional incidents involving civilian casualty reports from non-governmental organizations as of February.
The US began striking Houthi targets in Yemen in 2023 under President Joe Biden, after the group launched drones and missiles at commercial ships in the Red Sea. The campaign was intensified after President Donald Trump returned to power in 2025, with the aim of weakening Houthi military capabilities and protecting shipping through the Red Sea.
The Pentagon assessment does not include casualties from Trump administration attacks on vessels accused of drug smuggling in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, which have killed over 200 people since September 2025. Human rights groups have condemned those attacks as extrajudicial killings.
