US airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last year killed 153 civilians, according to a Pentagon review of the attacks. The review focused on three airstrikes in April 2025 that were launched during the US campaign against the Houthis. The militants were attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route that leads to the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean, as well as Israel.
Details of the Strikes
Those strikes targeted hostile forces in or near Yemen’s rebel-held capital city of Sanaa as well as the Ras Isa port. A total of 153 civilians were killed and 243 were injured. The strike on the port was the most deadly, killing 80 people and injuring 171 others.
US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said at the time that the strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen. The command determined that the three strikes more likely than not resulted in civilian harm, the review said. The information was based on US intelligence sources, imagery, and open-source reporting.
Civilian casualties from US military operations have drawn concerns, including from lawmakers in Congress, after a US missile struck an Iranian primary school in the opening days of this year’s war, killing up to 168 people. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is said to have slashed the size of an office focused on reducing civilian harm.
Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.
