Pentagon Tells Congress US Strikes in Yemen Killed 153 Civilians and Wounded Nearly 250 — Its First Such Admission

The Pentagon delivered its annual civilian casualty report to the congressional armed services committees on Aug. 11, 2026, finding that U.S. attacks in Yemen killed 153 civilians and wounded nearly 250 in three incidents during Operation Rough Rider, the 2025 campaign against the Houthis. The Washington Post reported it is the administration's first public acknowledgment since taking office that the military caused significant harm to noncombatants in any conflict. Two government officials told The Intercept the report found no civilians were killed in the Caribbean and Pacific boat strikes, calling that a "total whitewash" and the Yemen figures "lowball numbers." The Yemen Data Project counts at least 238 killed and 467 injured. Fifteen further incidents remain under review.

The report is required by Section 1057 of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which obliges the department to give Congress and the public casualty data and mitigation assessments. Its credibility depends on the assessment capacity behind it, and a Pentagon inspector general report in May described civilian protection efforts as largely inactive after staffing cuts.

The report covers only 2025 and excludes the ongoing Iran war. A Pentagon official told The Intercept the department had "nothing to preview or announce."