Full Breakdown
Pentagon Acknowledges 153 Civilian Deaths in Yemen Airstrikes (2025)
8/13/2026, 2:32:36 AM
Core Findings of the 2025 Civilian Casualty Review
The Department of Defense’s unclassified assessment reports 153 civilians killed and 243 injured in 2025, all from three U.S. airstrikes in Yemen: April 6 near Sanaa, April 17 at Ras Isa port, and April 28 near Saada. The review concluded each incident was “more likely than not” to have caused civilian harm, based on U.S. intelligence, imagery and open-source reporting. The assessment excludes casualties from separate U.S. strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Background: Operation Rough Rider and Policy Shifts
President Donald Trump authorized Operation Rough Rider in March 2025 to counter Iran-backed Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a restructuring of the Pentagon’s civilian-harm mitigation enterprise, reducing the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence (CPCE) from 40 staff to nine full-time employees by the end of FY 2025.
Data & Statistics
- Civilian casualties: 153 killed, 243 injured.
- Strike breakdown: 5 killed + 25 injured (April 6, Sanaa); 80 killed + 171 injured (April 17, Ras Isa); 47 killed + 68 injured (April 28, Saada).
- Staffing: CPCE now 7 civilians and 2 service members; overall civilian-harm mitigation budget cut by over $2 million in FY 2026, with program-wide reductions exceeding $9.5 million.
- Pending reviews: As of February 1 2026, CENTCOM is still assessing 15 additional incidents in Yemen reported by NGOs.
- Exclusions: No civilian casualties recorded by U.S. Southern Command in its area of responsibility for 2025.
Official Statements & Responses
The CPCE’s annual report highlighted continued training, war-gaming and lessons-learned activities despite staffing cuts.
Criticism from Human Rights Organizations
Human Rights Watch researcher Niku Jafarnia condemned the Ras Isa strike as a “callous disregard for civilians’ lives.” Amnesty International’s deputy regional director Kristine Beckerle labeled the Saada strike a “lethal failure” to meet core obligations under international humanitarian law and called for a war-crime investigation. Both groups, along with other NGOs, have urged greater transparency and accountability.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Airwars estimates at least 258 civilians may have been killed in Operation Rough Rider, higher than the Pentagon’s 153. The Pentagon acknowledges 15 additional Yemen incidents under review, indicating the final count could rise. No independent verification of the pending investigations has been released.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen,” — CENTCOM
- “There have been strikes that they have walked away from because it doesn’t meet the criteria,” — State Marco Rubio, United Nations ambassador Mike Waltz, and envoy Steve Witkoff
- “U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years,” — U.S. Central Command
What’s Next
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby indicated a CPCE review is scheduled for January 2026, with a broader civilian-casualty policy review due by year-end. The Pentagon has not yet released findings from the 15 pending Yemen investigations, and congressional oversight hearings are expected to address casualty figures and the restructuring of civilian-harm mitigation programs.
