US strikes in Yemen killed 153 civilians in 2025, says Pentagon review

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A Pentagon review has concluded that United States military strikes against Yemen's Houthi forces in 2025 killed 153 civilians and wounded another 243, according to reporting by Al Jazeera. The unclassified assessment, which was sent to the US Congress as part of the Pentagon's annual report on civilian casualties, found that all recorded civilian deaths and injuries came from three strikes in April 2025.

Al Jazeera, citing a US official and the review itself, reported that the attacks targeted Houthi forces in and around the capital, Sanaa, as well as the Ras Isa fuel port. The deadliest strike, at Ras Isa, killed 80 people and injured 171, according to the same report.

Coverage Comparison

The story has been covered by Al Jazeera and the Russian state news agency TASS (English), each drawing on different sources and presenting slightly different figures.

Al Jazeera's report, based on the Pentagon review, offers precise numbers: 153 killed and 243 wounded. It identifies three strikes in April 2025 as responsible for all civilian harm recorded by the US military that year. The report describes the Ras Isa attack as the deadliest, with 80 killed and 171 injured, and notes that the review found the strikes "more likely than not" resulted in civilian harm. Al Jazeera's coverage highlights a sharp increase from 2024, when the Pentagon assessed that US operations killed two civilians and injured two others.

TASS, citing NBC News and unnamed sources, reports a slightly different toll: "about 150 civilians" killed and another 200 wounded in attacks on April 17 and 28. TASS also mentions an April 6 attack on a private home, with an unknown number of casualties. The agency's report emphasizes that, despite human rights organizations' reports of a potentially high death toll, the Pentagon had not previously acknowledged civilian deaths from the air campaign. TASS notes that the US military conducted hundreds of airstrikes over 53 days, hitting more than 1,000 targets.

Both outlets agree on the broad narrative: US strikes in 2025 caused significant civilian casualties, and the Pentagon has now acknowledged this in a formal review. The discrepancies in the figures (153 vs. about 150 killed; 243 vs. about 200 wounded) may stem from different report versions or timing, but both point to the same conclusion.

Key Claims

• Civilian death toll: The Pentagon review found that US strikes killed 153 civilians in 2025, as reported by Al Jazeera. TASS, citing NBC News, puts the figure at about 150.

• Civilian injury toll: Al Jazeera reports 243 wounded; TASS reports about 200.

• Timing of strikes: Al Jazeera attributes all civilian harm to three strikes in April 2025. TASS specifies attacks on April 17 and 28, and an April 6 strike on a private home.

• Targets: The strikes targeted Houthi forces in and around Sanaa and the Ras Isa fuel port, according to Al Jazeera.

• Deadliest attack: The Ras Isa fuel port strike killed 80 people and injured 171, as reported by Al Jazeera.

• Pentagon's acknowledgment: The review found that the strikes "more likely than not" resulted in civilian harm, per Al Jazeera. TASS notes that the Pentagon had not previously acknowledged civilian deaths.

• Scale of campaign: The US military conducted hundreds of airstrikes, hitting more than 1,000 targets over 53 days, as reported by TASS.

• Comparison to 2024: The 2025 numbers mark a sharp increase from 2024, when the Pentagon assessed two civilian deaths and two injuries, according to Al Jazeera.

Perspectives

The situation involves multiple parties with distinct viewpoints:

• The US military (CENTCOM): At the time of the Ras Isa attack, US Central Command said the operation aimed to cut off a source of fuel and revenue for the Houthis, as reported by Al Jazeera. The broader campaign, ordered by President Donald Trump, was described as protecting American interests and ensuring freedom of navigation, per TASS.

• Houthi authorities: TASS reports that Houthi forces, from Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, aired footage of the Ras Isa aftermath on their Al-Masirah television channel, showing bodies scattered across the site. This indicates their perspective of the attack's devastating impact.

• Human rights organizations: TASS notes that human rights organizations had reported a potentially high death toll, suggesting an external scrutiny perspective.

• Pentagon review officials: The review itself represents an official acknowledgment of civilian harm, with a Pentagon official stating the department would formally submit the report in the coming months, as per Al Jazeera.