A History of U.S. Involvement in Yemen

Mwatana for Human Rights reports 576 civilian casualties from U.S. Airstrikes.

Cost of War Project published a report which claims that "from December 2023 to May 2025, 46 United States airstrike incidents resulted in at least 576 civilian casualties: 213 people were killed and 363 were injured, including 50 children and 25 women." These figures are higher than what the Pentagon had previously disclosed to Congress.

Pentagon Admits 153 Civilians Killed in 2025

A Defense Department review submitted to Congress claimed that U.S. airstrikes on the Houthis killed 153 civilians and injured 243 others in 2025. The Pentagon attributed nearly all of those casualties to just three strikes in April, including the Ras Isa port and the Sa'ada detention center. While this official count was a sharp jump from 2024 when the Pentagon admitted to only two civilian deaths, rights groups and local observers maintain the true civilian toll is far higher.

Operation Rough Rider

The Trump administration launched Operation Rough Rider, a 53-day campaign of over 300 strikes against the Houthis. This was more than the entire year-long U.S.–U.K. Operation Poseidon Archer that preceded it. Two strikes stood out for their civilian toll:

On April 17–18, a strike on the Ras Isa fuel port killed roughly 80 civilians and injured over 150, making it one of the deadliest single strikes of the campaign.

On April 28, a strike hit a migrant detention center in Sa'ada, holding African migrants. Houthi authorities and rights groups reported roughly 68 killed, while the Pentagon's own later assessment put the toll at 47 killed and 68 injured. Amnesty International called for the strike to be investigated as a war crime.

Operation Poseidon Archer

On January 12, 2024, the U.S. and U.K. under President Biden launched Operation Poseidon Archer, a sustained bombing campaign against Houthi targets in response to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping. The operation was backed by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands. By the time the campaign ended alongside the January 2025 Gaza ceasefire, the Houthis recorded 931 U.S. and British airstrikes that killed 106 people and injured 314 others.

Trump Vetoes War Powers Resolution

For the first time in history, Congress voted to invoke the War Powers Resolution to end U.S. involvement in a foreign conflict, passing a bipartisan resolution to withdraw U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. President Trump vetoed the resolution on April 16. The Senate's attempt to override the veto fell short on May 2, 53–45.

End of U.S. Refueling Support

Amid escalating bipartisan criticism of Saudi conduct in the war, the U.S. ended its aerial refueling support for Saudi and Emirati coalition aircraft flying missions over Yemen, at the coalition's own request. The U.S. had been providing refueling for roughly 20% of coalition strike aircraft.

Saudi-Led Coalition War Begins

A Saudi-led coalition began airstrikes and a naval blockade against Houthi forces in Yemen, backed by the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Canada through targeting assistance, midair refueling, spare parts, and billions of dollars in weapons sales. An estimated 9,000+ civilians were killed by coalition operations between 2015 and 2023 alone.

Killing of Anwar al-Awlaki and His Son

On September 30, 2011, a CIA drone strike killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen and AQAP propagandist, marking the first deliberate U.S. drone killing of an American citizen without trial. Two weeks later, on October 14, a separate strike killed his 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, also an American citizen, along with eight others. U.S. officials later said Abdulrahman had not been the intended target.

The al-Majalah Strike

On December 17, 2009, the U.S. launched a series of strikes across Yemen. A cruise missile strike using Tomahawk missiles loaded with cluster submunitions hit the hamlet of al-Majalah in Abyan governorate, while a simultaneous attack targeted Arhab in Sanaa governorate. The al-Majalah strike killed at least 55 people, including 41 civilians - with 21 children among them. One week later, on December 24, a follow-up strike hit Rafadh in Shabwah governorate. Yemen initially took public responsibility for the attacks, but U.S. involvement was confirmed a year later through leaked diplomatic cables.

First U.S. Drone Strike Outside Afghanistan

A CIA-operated Predator drone fired a Hellfire missile at a vehicle in Marib governorate, killing al-Qaeda in Yemen leader Abu Ali al-Harithi and five others. It was the first U.S. drone strike conducted outside a conventional battlefield, opening the era of targeted killings that would define the next two decades of U.S. counterterrorism policy.

USS Cole Bombing

Al-Qaeda suicide bombers detonated an explosive-laden boat alongside the USS Cole during a refueling stop in Aden, Yemen, killing 17 U.S. sailors and wounding 39. The attack put Yemen at the center of U.S. counterterrorism policy less than a year before September 11, and set the stage for two decades of American military involvement in the country.