Pentagon review finds US strikes killed 153 civilians in Yemen in 2025

An unclassified Pentagon review released this week provides the first comprehensive accounting of civilian casualties linked to the United States’ indirect role in the Saudi‑led campaign against Yemen’s Houthi forces. The 124‑page document, compiled by the Department of Defense’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, draws on data collected from coalition partners, open‑source reporting and internal assessments covering the period from 2015 through 2023. It estimates that more than 2,800 civilians have been killed and upwards of 7,500 injured in strikes where U.S.-supplied weapons or intelligence support were involved, including a series of high‑profile air attacks on residential areas in Marib and Hodeidah that the review says were “misidentified as legitimate military targets.”

The findings also detail procedural gaps in target verification, noting that reliance on partner‑provided targeting data and limited on‑the‑ground verification contributed to the higher casualty rates. The review recommends enhancements to the U.S. “kill‑chain” process, stricter oversight of arms transfers, and increased transparency in reporting civilian harm. While the Pentagon affirmed that the United States continues to seek compliance with international humanitarian law, the report underscores ongoing challenges in mitigating civilian impact amid the protracted conflict. The release is expected to inform congressional oversight and shape future policy discussions on U.S. involvement in Yemen.