Three Senate Democrats have sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to challenge him over the high civilian casualty rate in the US’s bombing campaign in Yemen, which the Trump administration launched on March 15.
US airstrikes on Yemen have hit residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure, taking a heavy toll on civilians. According to the Yemen Data Project, at least 63 civilians were killed, including 11 children, and 150 were injured by US strikes from March 15 to April 15.
On April 17, the US launched its deadliest attack on the Ras Issa fuel port, killing 80 people, mainly civilian workers and some paramedics, according to Yemen’s Health Ministry. Aid groups warned the strike on fuel infrastructure could push the millions of Yemenis already facing food shortages into famine.
According to The Washington Post, Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) said in a letter to Hegseth that such a “serious disregard” for life calls into question the Trump administration’s ability to conduct military operations “in accordance with US best practices for civilian harm mitigation and international law.”
The senators asked Hegseth to account for the number of civilians killed already and asked him to describe what efforts the Trump administration has taken to mitigate civilian harm, if any. They also asked whether the Pentagon was even tracking civilian casualties in Yemen.
The Pentagon has shared virtually no details about its attacks on Yemen, and Trump administration officials have claimed the bombing campaign has been a “success” even though the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have shown no sign of backing down in the face of daily US airstrikes.
The Houthis have maintained they won’t end attacks on Israel or their blockade on Israeli-linked shipping unless there’s a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory. A senior member of Ansar Allah’s political bureau has said the Houthis would stop attacks on US warships if the US stopped bombing Yemen, but there’s no sign the US is considering the offer.
Sen. Van Hollen said the high civilian casualties were likely helping the Houthis, who govern an area where about 80% of Yemenis live, gain support.
“As military leaders have made clear: if you don’t minimize the loss of civilian life, not only are you potentially violating international humanitarian law, but you’re undermining the goals of your mission … you only fuel more anger at America among the population when you kill scores of civilians … [and] you risk the Houthis gaining more recruits to their cause,” he said.
