Pentagon review says US strikes in Yemen killed 153 civilians in 2025
US military strikes targeting Yemen’s Houthis killed 153 civilians and wounded another 243 people in 2025, according to a newly disclosed Pentagon assessment.
The unclassified review, submitted to Congress as part of the Pentagon’s annual report on civilian casualties, found that all of the civilian deaths and injuries recorded by the US military last year resulted from three strikes carried out in April, Al Jazeera reported.
The figures represent a sharp increase from 2024, when the Pentagon assessed that US military operations in Yemen had killed two civilians and injured two others.
The three strikes targeted Houthi positions in and around Sanaa, the rebel-held capital, as well as the Ras Isa fuel port.
The deadliest attack hit the Ras Isa port on April 18, killing 80 people and injuring 171, according to the assessment. The strike triggered large fires at the facility and left tanker trucks burning.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said at the time that the operation was intended to disrupt a key source of fuel and revenue for the Houthis and was not intended to harm civilians.
However, the Pentagon’s subsequent review determined that the three attacks “more likely than not” caused civilian harm, based on US intelligence, imagery and publicly available information.
The assessment concluded that condolence payments to victims or their families were not appropriate, although it did not explain the reasoning behind that decision.
The Pentagon is also reviewing another 15 incidents following reports of civilian casualties submitted by nongovernmental organizations. The final number of civilian casualties from the US campaign could therefore increase.
The findings come amid renewed scrutiny of civilian harm caused by US military operations under President Donald Trump. The Pentagon has also reportedly reduced the size of an office responsible for addressing civilian casualties.
The US began striking Houthi targets in Yemen under former President Joe Biden in 2023 after the Iran-aligned group began attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis said their attacks were linked to the war in Gaza and aimed at pressuring Israel.
The US campaign intensified after Trump returned to office in 2025, with Washington saying its strikes were intended to weaken Houthi military capabilities and protect international shipping through the Red Sea.
The Pentagon assessment does not include deaths from separate US strikes against boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that Washington has accused of drug trafficking. Those operations have killed more than 200 people since September 2025, according to publicly announced tallies.