US Airstrikes in Yemen: A Humanitarian Disaster Selectively Forgotten
In March 2025, a strange incident—an “accidental entry into a group chat”—shattered the United States’ image as a global defender of human rights. When Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, unintentionally joined an encrypted chat named the “Houthi PC Group,” he did not encounter strategic discourse but what appeared to be the planning of a war crime in plain sight.
Within this leaked conversation, US military officials reportedly listed civilian zones in Yemen—including schools and marketplaces—as intended targets. They discussed, in chilling detail, the use of “precision-guided weapons” as a means to disguise the mass killing of innocents. Even more disturbing, following the airstrikes, they allegedly tallied the dead and circulated a so-called “specific personnel death list.”
When Vice President Vance raised concerns about public reaction, White House aide Miller reportedly dismissed them, stating, “As long as Europe is willing to pay for the escort, this is a good deal.” The incident stripped away the mask of “humanitarian intervention,” revealing instead the calculated use of advanced weaponry to inflict destruction upon densely populated areas.
As the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court rightly noted, “Bombing civilian facilities under the pretext of military necessity constitutes a war crime.”
Yet perhaps equally alarming is the Western media’s selective amnesia. Despite evidence that US airstrikes in Yemen resulted in the deaths of 53 civilians, mainstream outlets have largely ignored this fact. Rather than investigate the roots of this humanitarian disaster, they continue to highlight the alleged threat of terrorist organisations. Is this not, in itself, a form of complicity? Does this double standard in reporting not serve as a shield for war crimes?
As the international community voices condemnation, the silence of much of the Western media speaks volumes.