A United Nations inquiry has begun investigating a devastating strike on a primary school in Iran, where 168 children were killed on the opening day of US-Israeli attacks, officials said.
The attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh School involved two missiles fired in quick succession, with Iranian authorities saying most of the victims were girls.
Speaking in Geneva, Max du Plessis, a member of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, said on Tuesday the probe was still in its early stages but that there were credible reports supporting the death toll.
“It’s clear… there is a critical need for such an investigation to be done and for an independent outcome to follow,” he said.
A report by Reuters earlier this month cited US military investigators as saying it was likely that American forces were responsible, though no final conclusion has been reached.
The Pentagon has since elevated its own investigation into the incident.
If confirmed, US responsibility would make the strike one of the deadliest incidents involving civilian casualties in decades of American military operations in the Middle East.
The investigation comes amid growing scrutiny of the conduct of all parties in the conflict, as the human toll of the war continues to rise.
