Pentagon Admits US Airstrikes Killed 153 Civilians in Yemen, Wounded 243 More
A declassified 12-page report sent to the Senate marks the Trump administration's first public admission of major civilian harm in any conflict this term — and independent monitors say the real toll from 'Operation Rough Rider' runs far higher.
The Pentagon has formally told Congress that U.S. airstrikes in Yemen last year killed 153 civilians and wounded another 243, the first time the Trump administration has publicly acknowledged significant civilian harm from any military operation since taking office.
The admission came in a 12-page report delivered this week to the Senate Armed Services Committee, detailing the fallout from Operation Rough Rider, the air campaign President Trump authorized in March 2025 after Houthi rebels began attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Pentagon assessors concluded that three separate strikes during the operation's roughly seven-week run "more likely than not" caused civilian casualties.
Independent Counts Run Far Higher
Outside monitors say the true toll is worse than the Pentagon's own math. The Yemen Data Project tracked 339 strikes across the campaign, which wound down in early May 2025, and estimates at least 238 civilians were killed — including 24 children — with another 467 wounded. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both called for formal war-crimes investigations into the strikes.
THESE ARE EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS, OR MURDER, PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
Annie Shiel, U.S. advocacy director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, didn't mince words in response to the report, calling on Congress to "put an end to these executions" and demand accountability for the victims.
On Capitol Hill, Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren and Tim Kaine sent a joint letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pressing for answers, arguing the high casualty count reflects the administration's rollback of Obama- and Biden-era safeguards designed to minimize harm to noncombatants during targeting decisions.
The Pentagon's report does not identify which safeguards, if any, were bypassed during Operation Rough Rider, and a department spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about whether any service members face review over the strikes in question.
What's next: The Senate Armed Services Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing on the findings, but aides say members from both parties are expected to press for one before the August recess ends. Rights groups are separately pushing the United Nations to open an independent inquiry into the campaign's civilian toll.