In a civilian casualty report, the Pentagon acknowledged that at least 153 civilians were killed in its Yemen bombing campaign in 2025, though the number is an undercount
by Dave De Camp
The Pentagon has admitted in its annual report on civilian casualties to Congress that it committed two large-scale massacres of civilians in Yemen during its bombing campaign against the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, last year, which War Secretary Pete Hegseth dubbed “Operation Rough Rider.”
Operation Rough Rider was launched without congressional authorization and against a group that Congress has never provided an Authorization for the Use of Military Force against, making it illegal under the Constitution. The official justification was that it was to secure shipping, but the Houthis weren’t attacking US ships at the time, and Hegseth admitted in a Signal chat the day the bombing campaign started, which was published by The Atlantic, that he could “easily pause” plans to launch the strikes, demonstrating there was no imminent threat facing US forces.
The bombing campaign began on March 15, 2025, a few days after Ansar Allah announced it was renewing its blockade of Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in response to Israel violating the January 2025 Gaza ceasefire deal by imposing a full blockade on the Palestinian territory. It ended on May 6, 2026, with a mutual ceasefire between the US and Ansar Allah, but Ansar Allah continued its blockade on Israeli shipping and its strikes on Israel.