As the death toll from the conflict tops 175, calls are growing for investigations into potential human rights violations and war crimes.
Israeli forces attack Iranian girls’ school, killing at least 40 people
At least 40 people were killed in an Israeli attack on an Iranian girls’ school, according to reports, and another school in northwestern Iran was also attacked.
WASHINGTON – The search for those killed in the suspected U.S. or Israeli missile attack on Iran’s Shajare Tayebeh Girls’ Elementary School has officially ended.
But questions surrounding the attack, which killed at least 175 people, have only just begun, with international condemnation, investigations and calls for accountability mounting on March 2nd.
The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), one of the world’s oldest human rights organizations, said in a statement on March 2 that “all alleged violations, including indiscriminate or unprovoked attacks, deliberate targeting of civilians or civilian infrastructure, and attacks on medical facilities and schools, must be promptly, independently and transparently investigated.”
It added: “If evidence of war crimes or other serious violations is found, those responsible, regardless of rank or official capacity, must be held accountable in accordance with international law.”
The Trump administration has neither denied nor acknowledged responsibility for the attack, which occurred during the opening wave of the U.S.-led operation on February 28.
The Pentagon says it is reviewing the incident, but has so far not publicly committed to a formal investigation, disciplinary action or other accountability measures.
“It would be difficult to establish a legal basis for a strike on a school building when the school is full of children,” David Schaefer, an international law expert who served as the first U.S. ambassador for war crimes, told USA TODAY. “This is likely based on incorrect targeting decisions or flawed information about the use of that building.”
Here’s what you need to know:
What happened at Shajare Tayebeh?
The military attack on an elementary school in Minab, in southern Hormozgan province near the Sea of Oman, is considered one of the deadliest civilian casualties in the new US-Israel war against Iran.
President Donald Trump has championed war as necessary to deprive adversaries of their nuclear weapons and missile capabilities.
Most of the victims were children, including dozens of girls between the ages of 7 and 12, Iranian news agency IRNA and Iranian officials said, calling it an indiscriminate attack on civilians.
Iranian Health Ministry Spokesman Hossein Kermanpour shared an X post on February 28, calling most of those killed at schools “young child martyrs.”
“God knows how many more children will be pulled from the rubble,” he wrote. “May God give strength and patience to their family.”
According to Hengau, a Norway-based group focused on human rights abuses in Iran, the school was on its first of several school rotations when the strike occurred. The group added that about 170 students have registered for the school’s morning shift. However, it is unclear how many people were in the building during the strike.
Why was the school attacked?
It was not immediately clear why the school was targeted, but old satellite images show it was previously linked to facilities of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Recent satellite images from 2016 show that the school has since been separated by a wall from the IRGC base. new york times Reported.
Video footage from the area circulated online appears to show that Revolutionary Guards bases were also targeted in attacks that occurred during the early stages of the US-Israeli military operation that began on February 28.
What are US officials saying?
So far, the Trump administration’s response has been silent.
The White House had no comment. The Pentagon offered little response other than to say it was investigating reports of civilian casualties.
“We are aware of reports of civilian casualties from ongoing military operations. We take these reports seriously and are investigating them,” said Col. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the region.
“The protection of civilians is paramount and we will continue to take every precaution to minimize the risk of unintended harm,” Hawkins said.
The school bombing was not mentioned at a March 2 press conference between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Cain.
But Hegseth said the US mission, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, was “laser-focused” on destroying Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
“We are attacking them surgically, overwhelmingly and unapologetically,” Hegseth told reporters.
“As the president warned, there will be casualties in an operation of this scale. War is hell and always will be,” Hegseth said.
What do war crimes and humanitarian law cover?
Attacks on schools like this, especially intentional ones, could constitute a war crime under international and even U.S. rules of engagement, legal experts told USA TODAY March 2.
At the very least, it provides grounds for an intensive investigation into how the targets were chosen, who gave them permission, and whether it was intentional.
Col. Morris Davis, a former war crimes prosecutor and retired Air Force attorney general, said the laws of war are clear. Schools and other civilians cannot be targeted unless there is clear evidence that enemy forces are using the facilities for acts of war, such as operations, storing weapons, or quartering troops.
“In Gaza, you saw protected sites being converted to prohibited uses and potentially losing their protected status,” Davis said.
“Obviously, this is a monumental case, and normally an investigation would be convened to determine two things,” said Davis, the former chief prosecutor at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay. “One is to ensure accountability, and the other is to identify lessons learned. How do we prevent something like this from happening again?”
Your research should ask questions such as: Was the school the intended target? Was it attacked during an attack on a nearby Revolutionary Guards facility? If so, what intelligence services supported the attack and what civilian risk estimates were made?
Consistent with military policy, such investigations would be ordered and supervised by the military leadership in charge of that theater, Central Command Commander Davis told USA TODAY.
“But in the current environment, I think that’s a good way to lose your job on Monday,” Davis said, citing statements by Hegseth and other officials about the current war. “So do we expect someone to take responsibility? No.”
What do human rights groups say?
The Iranian government labeled the attack on the school a war crime and called for UN action.
UNESCO, the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization, also condemned the attack on the school as a “grave violation of humanitarian law”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also condemned the attack and Iran’s retaliatory strikes that have hit several countries in the Middle East.
The International Federation for Human Rights was one of a number of organizations calling on the United States and Israel to quickly investigate the matter to determine who ordered the attack and what information they had at the time.
The group said the “vast majority” of victims were children and named the attack on schools as targeting civilian infrastructure. However, the paper cited other reports showing that hundreds of civilians were also killed in various Iranian cities, including in attacks on hospitals.
Contributor: Jonathan Limehouse
