Civilian Deaths in U.S. Strikes in 2025 Rise to 153, Pentagon Says
A new Pentagon assessment shows that civilian casualties in U.S. military operations in 2025 have risen sharply, reaching 153 killed and 243 injured. A U.S. official said this on Tuesday, and the report was submitted to the U.S. Congress.
According to Reuters, the figure marks a significant increase compared with 2024. In its 2024 assessment, the Pentagon reported that two civilians were killed and two others were injured.
Based on the Pentagon report, all civilian deaths and injuries recorded in 2025 resulted from three U.S. strikes in Yemen. The report said U.S. Central Command assessed that the three strikes in Yemen in April 2025 had “more likely than not” harmed civilians.
The report also says that by February 2026, 15 other incidents in Yemen remained under review by U.S. Central Command after reports from non-governmental organisations. The U.S. military has said the aim of the operations in Yemen is to weaken the capabilities of Iran-backed Houthi forces.
Reuters also reported that casualties from U.S. strikes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific were not included in the Pentagon report. According to the report, U.S. attacks on vessels that Donald Trump’s administration has accused of transporting drugs have left more than 200 people dead since September 2025.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have described the strikes as unlawful extrajudicial killings. The American Civil Liberties Union has also described the Trump administration’s claims about the people targeted as “unproven and fear-based.”
The Pentagon is the U.S. Department of Defense, and its annual reports on civilian casualties are among the official sources used to assess the consequences of the country’s military operations. In recent years, Yemen has been one of the main focuses of U.S. attacks against the Houthis.
