Deaths of civilians in Yemen from US bombings increase dramatically under Trump

The bombing of Yemen under Donald Trump led to the deaths of almost as many civilians in two months as in the previous 23 years of US attacks on Islamists and militants in the country.

- Dan Sabbagh

An analysis of Operation Rough Rider by the monitoring group Airwars has concluded that 224 civilians were killed between March and the end of the campaign in May, compared with 258 between 2002 and 2024.

Airwars argues that the higher death rate after 33 strikes signals a change in policy on the part of the US and is a potential sign of what could happen in Iran, if Trump decides to join Israel's bombing campaign against the country.

"This campaign sets the tone for Trump at war, and for what allies can do. With the US poised for escalation, we have to understand the Yemen campaign to understand what the future holds," said Emily Tripp, the director of Airwars.

Deliberately targeting civilians in a manner that is considered not proportional to any military advantage gained is considered a war crime according to the Geneva conventions, though the doctrine has been stretched in recent conflicts, most notably Israel's assault on Gaza, where there have been individual incidents of more than 100 civilians killed.