Israeli strikes on Iran may have violated international law, UN mission says
Iranian Red Crescent/AFP
A UN fact-finding mission said some of Israel's strikes on Iran may have violated international humanitarian law, killing civilians and aid workers.
The mission flagged concerns over Israel's lack of advance warnings, which left millions at risk as people fled Tehran.
Experts also raised alarm over detainees near bombing sites and Iran's reported arrests of activists and journalists accused of spying.
A fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations said on Monday that some of Israel's strikes on Iran may have broken international humanitarian law, citing the killing of civilians in an apartment block and three aid workers in Tehran.
Israel began airstrikes on Iran in a surprise attack on 13 June that killed many of Iran's top commanders and has intensified attacks since, prompting an exodus from the capital. The United States joined on Sunday by hitting Iran's underground nuclear sites.
'Among those killed in Tehran were dozens of residents of an apartment complex and three humanitarian workers from the Iranian Red Cross, while damaged sites included a clinic for children with autism and a hospital in Kermanshah,' the investigative body said in a statement to journalists, referring to the Israeli strikes.
'This, and the reported lack of effective advance warning by Israel, which may affect the population's ability to reach safety, raise serious concerns in relation to the principles of proportionality, distinction, and precaution under international humanitarian law.'
The mission said that millions had so far fled the capital and that a lack of warning systems, adequate shelters and internet restrictions had increased the dangers.
After Israel struck a notorious jail for political prisoners on Monday, the experts voiced concern about detainees held near the sites of bombings.
The statement said:
It also voiced concerns about reports of arbitrary arrests by Iranian authorities of activists, journalists and social media users accused of espionage with Israel - a crime that is punishable by death in Iran.
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