By Annarita Magliaro.

In March 2025, President Donald Trump launched Operation Rough Rider, a major US military campaign against Houthi-held areas of Yemen. The attacks were portrayed as a response to Houthi missile and drone attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which the Houthis had purportedly made in solidarity with the Palestinians facing Israel’s assault in Gaza. Even though it was marketed as a counterterrorism strategy, Operation Rough Rider’s human cost raised serious concerns [1].

In the course of the operation, U.S. forces conducted more than 1,000 strikes across Yemen over a two-month period. At least 224 civilians were killed between March and May 2025, according to the monitoring group Airwars: the same number of civilians killed during the previous 23 years of U.S. operations in Yemen [2].

One of the deadliest incidents was the April 17 bombing of the Ras Isa oil terminal, a vital facility for storing petroleum. The strike resulted in a large fire and subsequent explosions that killed at least 84 people, including first responders and migrant workers [2]. Another U.S. airstrike targeted a detention facility in Saada that housed African migrants eleven days later, resulting in sixty-eight dead and numerous injuries [9]. These incidents sparked outrage around the world and raised questions about targeting protocols and compliance with international humanitarian law [5].

The US Central Command defended the strikes, stating that they were designed to destroy Houthi military hardware, such as missile launchers, radar systems, and air defenses. Even though some attacks allegedly impaired Houthi capabilities, such as an 87% decrease in missile launches, the campaign’s precision and proportionality have come under heavy fire due to the civilian casualties [3] [4].

This operation marked a dramatic shift in the U.S. military’s posture during Trump’s second term, according to numerous analysts [5]. In contrast to the Biden administration’s more measured use of force, Trump opted for swift, massive bombings with minimal public scrutiny. The campaign cost over $1 billion in its first month and proceeded without a formal legislative declaration [5]. According to Emily Tripp, director of Airwars,the campaign is a template for Trump’s use of military force globally: Large-scale, aggressive, and largely impervious to political accountability, she said.

The humanitarian impact has been severe. Yemen was already suffering from famine and disease after years of conflict [10]. The destruction of ports, oil facilities, and fuel infrastructure has hampered humanitarian efforts and contributed to the country’s economic collapse. According to Siddiq Khan, director of the NGO Islamic Relief in Yemen, the situation has gotten much worse since the bombing campaign began, with major delays in food supplies, skyrocketing costs, and widespread fuel shortages reported by Islamic Relief and other humanitarian organizations [6].

In May 2025, Oman helped mediate a ceasefire agreement whereby the Houthis agreed to stop attacking commercial vessels in return for the United States stopping airstrikes. The Houthis said the ceasefire did not apply to Israel and that they would continue to support Gaza and resume military operations if provoked [7].

Although Operation Rough Rider achieved some short-term military goals, its long-term sustainability remains uncertain. The deaths of civilians have increased anti-American sentiment in the area, which may encourage militant recruitment. Human rights organizations continue to question the operation’s legitimacy, and some international observers argue that certain aspects of the campaign may have violated international law.

To conclude, Yemen is still struggling. The expense of such military tactics and the lives destroyed in their wake are major concerns. Especially so if Operation Rough Rider turns out to be the sign that the way the US wage war is about to undergo significant changes under the new Trump administration [8].

Edited by Justine Dukmedjian.

References

[1] De Silva, Rowena, Ryan Geitner, and Anna Zahn. “Trump Nearly Doubled U.S. Civilian Casualty Toll in Yemen.” Airwars, 18 June 2025, https://trump-yemen.airwars.org/operation-rough-rider.

[2] Beaumont, Peter. “Trump’s Yemen Bombings Killed Nearly as Many Civilians as 23 Previous Years of US Attacks, Analysis Shows.” The Guardian, 18 June 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/18/trump-yemen-bombings-killed-civilians-us-attacks-analysis.

[3] U.S. Central Command. “USCENTCOM Forces Continue to Target Houthi Terrorists.” U.S. Central Command, 28 May 2025, https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/4167047/uscentcom-forces-continue-to-target-houthi-terrorists/.

[4] Garamone, Jim. “U.S. Punches Back at Iran-Backed Houthi Terrorists in Yemen.” U.S. Department of Defense, 15 Mar. 2025, https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4122757/us-punches-back-at-iran-backed-houthi-terrorists-in-yemen/.

[5] Sabbagh, Dan. “Trump Promised Peace but Brings Rapid Increase in Civilian Casualties to Yemen.” The Guardian, 28 Apr. 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/28/us-escalation-yemen-civilian-casualties.

[6] McVeigh, Karen. “Yemen Facing Humanitarian Collapse amid US and Israeli Strikes, Agencies Warn.” The Guardian, 26 May 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/may/26/yemen-us-israeli-airstrikes-houthi-famine-humanitarian-crisis-civilians.

[7]Reuters Staff. “US-Houthi Ceasefire Deal Does Not Include Israel, Says Houthi Spokesperson.” Reuters, 7 May 2025, https://www.reuters.com/world/us-houthi-ceasefire-deal-does-not-include-israel-houthi-spokesperson-reuters-2025-05-07/.

[8] Sevastopulo, Demetri, et al. “Trump Escalates Yemen Bombing Campaign despite Pledge to End Wars.” Financial Times, 1 May 2025, https://www.ft.com/content/95607ebd-88c4-44c5-9e6d-77ac4eb1e05b.

[9] Human Rights Watch. “Yemen: US Strike Reportedly Kills, Injures Dozens of Migrants.” Human Rights Watch, 29 Apr. 2025, https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/04/29/yemen-us-strike-reportedly-kills-injures-dozens-migrants.

[10] International Rescue Committee. “A Decade of Conflict in Yemen: Humanitarian Lifeline on the Brink, Warns IRC.” ReliefWeb, 26 Mar. 2025, https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/decade-conflict-yemen-humanitarian-lifeline-brink-warns-irc.

[Cover Image] Photo by Anthony Beck (https://www.pexels.com/fr-fr/photo/en-bois-bois-monde-carte-4493205/) Licensed under Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/fr-fr/).