US, Israel accused of ‘war crimes’ after deadly strikes on civilian targets
• Najafabad ‘double-tap’ airstrike kills 19 civilians seeking municipal services, emergency workers
• Bombing of Qeshm Island desalination plant cuts off fresh water to 30 villages
THE United States and Israel stand accused of committing “war crimes” in Iran, after a series of recent airstrikes that have killed hundreds of civilians and devastated non-military infrastructure, targeting a water desalination plant, and a park housing emergency responders, hospitals, and schools.
The accusations followed a deadly strike on Sunday morning in Najafabad, where local officials reported 19 civilians were killed.
Akbar Salehi, the security and law enforcement deputy of the Isfahan Governorate, said fighter jets he linked to the US and Israel struck a local office for traffic and driving services. He added that a second missile targeted the same location minutes later as residents and emergency personnel were attempting to rescue the wounded.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said it has formally requested the International Criminal Court to initiate a war crimes investigation, submitting data alleging that more than 6,600 civilian structures have been damaged or destroyed since the conflict began.
In another severe attack on vital public utilities, a US strike hit a freshwater desalination facility on Qeshm Island in southern Iran, cutting off water supplies to 30 villages.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi condemned the attack as a “blatant and desperate crime” targeting civilian lifelines.
“The US committed a blatant and desperate crime by attacking a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island,” Araqchi said in a post on X.
“Attacking Iran’s infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences”.
‘Double-tap’ at Zibashahr park
Meanwhile, an in-depth investigation by New Lines Magazine into a separate March 5 air strike on Zibashahr Park in Shiraz has raised questions about targeting practices.
The report, which analysed satellite imagery and verified videos, confirmed that the strike destroyed a base for emergency medical responders inside the park, killing a reported 20 people and injuring 30. Three medical workers were among the dead.
Satellite imagery showed that a known military installation, including the faculty of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps unit, located just 200 meters away, was left untouched.
“It’s a bit inexplicable. The only identifiable military target wasn’t struck,” Adil Haque, a professor of the law of armed conflict at Rutgers University, told the magazine.
Wes Bryant, a former Pentagon targeting chief, reviewed the evidence and said the precision of modern munitions makes such an incident highly unlikely to be an accident.
“With those precision munitions, it’s very rare to have a miss,” Bryant said. “I’ve literally never seen one that has missed to the point of going 200 meters across the road.”
Civilian targets
Reports from media outlets and humanitarian organisations document a widespread pattern of damage to civilian sites.
A CNN forensic investigation, using satellite imagery and verified videos, concluded that US and Israeli strikes on military and police facilities in Tehran also damaged at least three nearby hospitals.
Dr Pir Hossein Kolivand, president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, provided extensive data in his letter to the ICC. Kolivand’s field assessment reported that 7,943 residential units, 1,617 commercial units, 32 pharmaceutical and medical centres, and 65 educational schools have been damaged.
A missile also struck a sports hall in Lamerd, Fars Province, killing 18 people, primarily teenage girls gathered for training, according to local Iranian media.
Separately, Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing deep concern over the military strikes on Iran. The Swiss government called for “full compliance with international law and urges de-escalation”, while urgently updating its travel advice for nationals in the region.
Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2026