US military operations resulted in the deaths of 153 civilians and injuries to another 243 people in 2025, according to a Pentagon assessment cited by a US official, marking a sharp increase in the civilian toll from the previous year. The figures contrast significantly with the Pentagon’s assessment for 2024, when US military operations were found to have killed two civilians and injured two others.
According to the assessment, all 153 civilian deaths and 243 injuries recorded for 2025 were linked to three US military strikes carried out in Yemen in April. The attacks were part of a US military campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi movement, which Washington accused of threatening commercial shipping and US forces operating in and around the Red Sea.
US President Donald Trump had directed the military to step up action against the Houthis, saying their attacks posed a threat to American forces and freedom of navigation through one of the world's most important maritime trade routes. The campaign included a strike on Yemen's Ras Isa fuel port in April. At the time, the United Nations expressed concern over reports of scores of civilian casualties from strikes in and around the port and warned of damage to critical infrastructure.
The final civilian toll from US operations during 2025 could rise further. US Central Command was still examining 15 additional incidents for possible civilian casualties as of February 2026, according to information cited in reports on the Pentagon assessment. The significant increase in acknowledged casualties has renewed scrutiny of the humanitarian consequences of American military operations in Yemen. The country has endured more than a decade of conflict and remains in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis. More than 21 million people are projected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026, according to the United Nations.
The casualty figures form part of the Pentagon's assessment of civilian harm resulting from US military operations and were communicated to Congress. The findings represent a substantial change from earlier assessments surrounding the Yemen campaign. Reports of civilian casualties had emerged during the strikes, prompting demands from rights organisations for investigations into individual attacks. The Pentagon's assessment now officially attributes hundreds of civilian casualties to US military action in 2025, with 396 people either killed or wounded. With several incidents still being examined, the review of civilian harm from US military operations during the year is not yet complete.