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https://theconversation.com/does-international-law-still-matter-the-strike-on-the-girls-school-in-iran-shows-why-we-need-it-277196>
"As the US and Israel began their joint assault on Iran, reports emerged from
Iran that a strike hit the Shajarah Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in the
southern city of Minab.
The school was reportedly packed with young pupils at the time. Iranian
authorities say more than 150 people were killed, including children, and 60
more injured (these figures are yet to be independently verified).
Videos verified by international media show rescue workers digging through
collapsed concrete, school bags being pulled from the debris, and scorch marks
along the remaining walls.
The
New York Times says it has verified videos that show the school next to a
naval base belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC, and a
strike hitting that base.
Iranian representatives at the United Nations have characterised the strike as
a deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure and labelled it a war crime
and a crime against humanity.
Neither the United States nor Israel have publicly confirmed hitting the
school. The US military’s Central Command (Centcom) said:
We are aware of reports concerning civilian harm resulting from ongoing
military operations. We take these reports seriously and are looking into
them. The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will
continue to take all precautions available to minimize the risk of
unintended harm.
At present, we do not have enough verified facts to reach a firm legal
conclusion about what happened.
But given the questions about the legality of the US and Israeli strikes on
Iran – and deeper questions about whether we’re witnessing the “death of
international law” more broadly – incidents like this illustrate the continuing
importance of the law, especially in times of conflict."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
