Yemen War (Saudi Support)
2015–2025 (10 years) · Middle East · Yemen, Houthi rebels
US military support for Saudi Arabia's bombing campaign in Yemen — the world's worst humanitarian crisis. US provides weapons, intelligence, and refueling.
🧠 Key Insights
- • This conflict cost $67 per taxpayer — $10B in total (2023 dollars), or $5B per American life lost.
- • For every American soldier killed, approximately 75000 civilians died — 150,000 civilian deaths vs. 2 US deaths.
- • This conflict lasted 10 years — approximately 0 American deaths per year.
- • This conflict was waged without congressional authorization — a violation of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, which vests the war power exclusively in Congress.
$10B
Cost (2023 dollars)
2
US Deaths
150,000
Civilian Deaths
500
Troops Deployed
$2.7M
Cost Per Day
$5.0B
Cost Per US Death
75000.0:1
Civilian:Military Death Ratio
📖 What Led to This
The U.S. role in the Yemen war is America's most shameful ongoing military involvement — a conflict that has created what the United Nations calls 'the world's worst humanitarian disaster,' with the U.S. serving as the chief enabler.
Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition bombing Yemen to restore the internationally recognized government after Houthi rebels (backed by Iran) seized the capital, Sana'a. The U.S. has provided the bombs, the planes, the intelligence, the targeting assistance, the mid-air refueling, and the diplomatic cover for a campaign that has killed an estimated 150,000 people and pushed millions to the brink of famine.
American-made bombs have struck hospitals, schools, weddings, funerals, and school buses. In August 2018, a Saudi airstrike hit a school bus in Dahyan, killing 40 children — the bomb was a U.S.-made MK 82 sold to Saudi Arabia through a State Department-approved arms deal. The image of the bomb fragment with American markings became a symbol of U.S. complicity.
The U.S. has no vital interest in Yemen. The intervention serves Saudi Arabia's regional rivalry with Iran, not American security. Yet multiple administrations have continued arms sales and military support, driven by the $110 billion Saudi arms deal and the broader U.S.-Saudi relationship.
The humanitarian toll is staggering: 150,000 killed, 85,000 children dead from famine, 4 million displaced, and a cholera epidemic that infected over 2.5 million people — the largest cholera outbreak in recorded history.
The libertarian case is straightforward: the U.S. is enabling a foreign power's war of choice that has created a humanitarian catastrophe, without congressional authorization, without a vital national interest, and in violation of U.S. laws prohibiting arms sales to countries that target civilians.
“The United States is complicit in the worst humanitarian catastrophe on the planet.”
💀 The Human Cost
2
Total US Deaths
5
Wounded
150,000
Civilian Deaths
That's approximately 0 American deaths per year, or 0 per day for 10 years.
For every American soldier killed, approximately 75000 civilians died.
💸 What It Cost You
$10B
Total Cost (2023 $)
$67
Per Taxpayer
$5B
Cost Per US Death
Where the Money Went
Of $10 billion (inflation-adjusted): Direct U.S. military costs include intelligence sharing, mid-air refueling operations (until 2018), special operations against AQAP, and naval operations. The larger cost is in arms sales — the U.S. has sold over $100 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia since 2015, with a significant portion used in Yemen. The humanitarian catastrophe has also required billions in U.S. aid spending to address the famine the U.S. helped create.
Outcome
Ongoing humanitarian catastrophe
150,000+ dead. 85,000 children starved to death. Cholera epidemic. US-made bombs used on hospitals, school buses, weddings.
⚖️ Constitutional Analysis: ❌ No Congressional Authorization
No congressional authorization. Congress voted to end support in 2019; Trump vetoed. Biden pledged to end but continued.
📅 Key Events
- ▸Saudi intervention begins (2015)
- ▸School bus bombing (2018)
- ▸Famine and cholera crisis
🎯 Objectives (Not Met / Partially Met)
- ❌Support Saudi Arabia against Houthis
- ❌Counter Iranian influence
💡 Did You Know?
- •A U.S.-made MK 82 bomb killed 40 children on a school bus in Dahyan, Yemen in August 2018 — the bomb fragment with American markings was photographed and shared worldwide.
- •Yemen has experienced the largest cholera outbreak in recorded history — over 2.5 million cases since 2016 — largely because Saudi bombing destroyed water and sanitation infrastructure.
- •An estimated 85,000 Yemeni children under five have died of famine as a result of the Saudi-led blockade supported by the U.S.
- •The U.S. has provided mid-air refueling for Saudi bombers, shared targeting intelligence, sold billions in bombs and fighter jets, and provided diplomatic cover at the UN — essentially fighting the war by proxy.
- •Congress passed a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to end U.S. support for the Yemen war in 2019 — Trump vetoed it, and the involvement continued.
- •Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman launched the Yemen war in 2015 when he was 29 years old, projecting it would last a few weeks. It has lasted nearly a decade.
👤 Key Figures
Mohammed bin Salman
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
Launched the Yemen war at age 29, projecting a quick victory. Nearly a decade later, the war continues with catastrophic humanitarian consequences.
Chris Murphy
U.S. Senator (D-CT)
Led congressional opposition to U.S. involvement in Yemen, calling it 'complicity in the worst humanitarian catastrophe on the planet.'
Bernie Sanders
U.S. Senator (I-VT)
Co-sponsored the War Powers Resolution to end U.S. support for the Yemen war — the first-ever congressional use of the War Powers Act.
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi
Leader of the Houthi Movement
Led the Houthi takeover of Sana'a that triggered the Saudi intervention. The Houthis control most of Yemen's population centers.
⚡ Controversies
U.S.-made weapons have been documented striking hospitals, schools, weddings, funerals, and a school bus full of children — raising questions of complicity in war crimes.
Congress passed a War Powers Resolution to end U.S. involvement — Trump vetoed it, demonstrating that even congressional antiwar majorities cannot override presidential war-making.
The Saudi-led blockade, supported by the U.S. Navy, has prevented food and medical supplies from reaching millions of starving Yemenis.
The U.S. has continued arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite mounting evidence of systematic targeting of civilians, potentially violating the Leahy Law and Arms Export Control Act.
🏛️ Legacy & Impact
Created what the UN calls 'the world's worst humanitarian disaster' — with the U.S. as the primary enabler. Demonstrated that arms sales and the Saudi relationship override human rights concerns in American foreign policy. Energized the antiwar movement in Congress, producing the first-ever invocation of the War Powers Resolution to try to end a conflict (vetoed by Trump). The war has devastated Yemen's infrastructure, economy, and society for a generation.
🗽 The Libertarian Case
America's most shameful ongoing war. US-made bombs dropped by US-supported Saudi jets on Yemeni school buses, hospitals, and weddings. 85,000 children starved to death. Congress voted to end it; the President vetoed. Both parties share the blame.