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Conflict Events Archive
16,168 documented events · latest Sep 17, 2026 — chronological archive with full summaries and multi-source verification.
This extremist group has found a new way to threaten the global economy: cheap drones
The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. This extremist group has found a new way to threaten the global economy: cheap drones Cheap drone technology has given the Yemeni rebels a stranglehold on global shipping pinch points in Arabian Peninsula – and the attack on Saudi Arabia’s critical East-West oil pipeline shows how else they plan to use it, says Mark Almond There is a dangerous tendency to treat the renewed conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi Shiite group as a sideshow to the simmering US-Iran war on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula. But in many ways, it is a much more destabilising threat than even Donald Trump’s costly conflict – whether as a general threat to world supply chains, or specifically to oil supplies – than even the blockade by Iran of the Strait of Hormuz. Yes, global supplies of oil, gas and fertiliser have been dramatically cut by the Iranian threat to Gulf shipping. But the Red Sea is an even bigger and more varied transport corridor right up to the Suez Canal. Saudi Arabia had tried to redirect its oil export along the East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. But the Houthis’ bombing of a range of pumping stations along it – as well as their ability to hit management targets in Yanbu itself – have stemmed the oil flow. At the moment, the Houthis emphasise that they are only fighting the Saudis and their Yemeni “proxies”, but no one trusts the war against shipping to be limited to these targets. The problem for companies sending billions of dollars of Far Eastern cars and electronics through the Red Sea is that it makes more sense to hedge against the risks of losing a container ship and its expensive cargo by re-routing around Africa. That adds two weeks or more to the transit time, but at least it is safe from drone attacks. While this secures the cargo, it is at the expense of a hike in prices to the consumer. The Saudi v Houthis conflict is likely to have a broader effect on the world economy even than Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis may operate according to their own agenda, but the Iranians and Houthis agree on the key points of strategy. The Houthis’ formidable arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones also have an Iranian source, either actual supplies or knowledge of the technology shared. It should be a sharp warning to all commercial states – above all, the USA and China – that missile and drone technology is now available to desperately poor states. Per capita, Yemen is poorer than Haiti. Weapons of global disruption are in effect available to all – certainly to those whose geography, like the Houthis’, gives them a hold on a global pinch point. The local consequences of the Houthis’ gaining control of the narrow Bab al-Mandab are severe. Even before this crisis, Saudi Arabia was suffering a sharp shortfall in its revenues. The Saudis have been making savage cuts. Western media might have noticed the dropping of professional partnerships with golf tournaments and New York’s Metropolitan Opera. But the domestic projects of the Crown Prince are beginning to suffer, too. Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is caught in a trap: should he revert to the expensive but failed military strategy against the Houthis which he launched in 2015? Or should he make a deal with them and Iran that saves the Saudi economy, but leaves his regime looking fatally weak? If the Crown Prince buys peace now, he could face more blackmail in the near future. Despite the Houthis’ strikes, a newly forged alliance with Turkey and Pakistan has not yet been activated. Saudi Arabia’s old ally, Egypt, is pondering whether it can afford sending troops to fight the Houthis. Egypt’s original military dictator, Nasser, burnt his fingers badly intervening against the Houthis’ grandparents in the 1960s. President Sisi does not need to relearn the lesson. President Trump has twice rebuffed the Saudi Crown Prince’s request for US military assistance. Bin Salman’s recent largesse to the Trump investment family has not been repaid with security. Only Israel seems willing to offer air support against the Yemeni group, which fired missiles at the country in the aftermath of October 7th. But to accept Israeli help would be a terrible blow to the Saudi family as the protectors of Islam’s holiest places. The complex local rivalries and clan loyalties are what makes the global reverberations of this conflict so difficult to resolve. The United States has been revealed to be a one-shot, slow-to-reload superpower. Thirty years ago, Washington planned to fight two major wars at once. Now it can fight a small war to stalemate. So small states and militias are left to fight it out – regardless of the consequences for the world economy. Mark Almond is the director of the Crisis Research Institute, Oxford To continue reading this article... You have [%% article number %%] left to read... Try 6 months for just €1 SUBSCRIBE NOW - Full access to Premium news analysis - Advert-free reading across Independent.co.uk - The Independent app with Premium features Subscription renews automatically and you can turn off auto-renewal at any time. By placing my order, I acknowledge that my subscription will start immediately and I accept that I will lose the right to cancel my subscription in the first 14 days. The Independent reserves the right to withdraw this promotion at any time. 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UN mission faults both U.S., Iran for deadly attacks before and during war | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
UN mission faults both U.S., Iran for deadly attacks before and during war GENEVA >> A UN fact-finding mission on Iran said today it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes. It also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. The findings in a new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, examined the U.S. ’s conduct during the Iran war that began in February and the Iranian government’s response to nationwide unrest that begun in late December. The Iranian and U.S. permanent missions in Geneva did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. U.S. officials have previously said military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict, while Iran has consistently rejected allegations of systematic rights violations. The UN experts said they found reasonable grounds to believe U.S. forces were responsible for an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the city of Minab, where more than 150 people were killed, including around 120 schoolchildren, according to Iranian officials. Don't miss out on what's happening! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE! The attack constituted an indiscriminate attack causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law, the mission concluded. According to the report, the U.S. failure to update information in relation to the school, which was adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval complex, in its targeting databases and to confirm the building was a military objective amounted to more than mere negligence. “Rather, the U.S. directed the strikes at the building of the school while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object and acting recklessly as regards the possibility that this would happen.” In June , President Donald Trump said that “nobody” purposefully attacked a girls’ school in Iran in February, citing an investigation into the incident. Reuters first reported that an initial internal U.S. military investigation showed U.S. forces were likely responsible for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran. The Pentagon has since elevated the probe but it has not published any preliminary findings. UN experts said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian object and found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. The experts reached a similar conclusion over a strike on a sports center in Lamerd. The report said the attack damaged nearby residential buildings and a school and killed and injured 22 civilians. It concluded that the strike was indiscriminate and therefore constituted a war crime. U.S. Central Command said in a statement in March that U.S. forces did not launch any strikes into the city of Lamerd on that day. The UN mission probe found that the Iranian authorities carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians during protests that erupted in late December last year, involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. Rights groups say bystanders were among those killed during the biggest crackdown since Shi’ite Muslim clerics took power in the 1979 revolution. Tehran blamed “terrorists and rioters” backed by exiled opponents and foreign foes the U.S. and Israel. The probe said it could not independently verify the death toll, but that it believed the number of dead and injured was likely far higher than official figures, which say 3,038 people were killed, and 25,000 people injured. The government’s response to the protests — including violence and killings, cutting off the internet and use of the death penalty, marked a significant escalation from previous patterns of suppressing dissent, the report said.
Gaza repairman helps journalists to keep documenting genocide
As journalists in Gaza continue documenting the war, camera repairman Mohammed Radwan keeps damaged equipment in use.
US Congress Passes 100% Tariff Bill on Russian Oil Buyers as Midterms & China Summit Near
The US Congress has fast-tracked a bill granting the president authority to impose 100% tariffs on countries purchasing oil and gas from Russia, including India, China, Turkey, and Japan. Originally proposed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, the revised legislation moved through the Senate and the House Freedom Caucus ahead of the midterm elections. Analysts note the move provides diplomatic leverage ahead of the Chinese president's visit to Washington, DC, to negotiate trade, artificial intelligence, and semiconductor issues. The measure also signals congressional intent to address ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia. Discussion highlighted concerns regarding the economic impact on India amid ongoing bilateral trade negotiations and global energy vulnerabilities. The legislation permits presidential waivers, with experts emphasizing the objective of restricting revenues funding Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.
Houthis threaten global economy more than Iran – Independent article - BBC News Arabic
Houthis threaten global economy more than Iran – Independent article - BBC News Arabic (machine-translated headline from a Arabic-language source)
UN Iran Fact-Finding Mission calls for end to hostilities after US strikes kill civilians
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran Monday called on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and comply with international humanitarian law following reported US airstrikes that killed and injured civilians in southern Iran. The Mission said that two strikes in Hormozgan province raise serious questions about whether the United States took all necessary precautions to protect civilians during military operations. The Mission has not determined that either strike constituted a war crime, but said the reported civilian deaths require further investigation. On September 1, a reported US airstrike struck a home in Kuhestak during a wedding celebration. Iranian media reported that five people died, including two children and one woman, and that dozens of others suffered injuries. On July 30, another reported US strike destroyed a residential home in Qeshm, reportedly killing a man, a woman and their two-year-old son and injuring their two other children. Both attacks occurred in areas with historically marginalized minority populations, specifically in the Hormozgan province. The Mission identified Kuhestak as predominantly Baloch and Qeshm as predominantly Sunni. It has previously documented structural discrimination and marginalization affecting both of these communities. Mission expert Max du Plessis said, “repeated airstrikes causing civilian casualties raise serious questions about whether all necessary measures are being taken to comply with States’ obligations under international law, including to take all precautionary measures to avoid civilian deaths.” The Mission also warned that violations of these obligations can give rise to international responsibility and, depending on the circumstances, may constitute war crimes. They insist on calling for in-depth investigations into attacks that cause civilian casualties. The Mission’s concerns echo earlier reports of civilian casualties since the beginning of the US-Israeli attacks in February. In March, UN experts condemned a reported missile strike on a girls’ school in Iran that reportedly killed more than 160 children. By March 17, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that more than 1,200 people had been killed in the conflict. The Human Rights Council established the Mission in November 2022 after widespread protests began in Iran following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. Its original mandate focused on investigating alleged human rights violations connected to the protests, particularly violations affecting women and children. The Council later extended the mandate and instructed the Mission to document, verify, consolidate and preserve evidence of violations for potential future legal proceedings. The Council extended the Mission’s mandate again in January 2026 for two years. Its work now covers recent and ongoing serious human rights violations in Iran. This expanded mandate means that the Mission can examine developments aside from the original 2022 protests, including allegations arising during the current conflict.
Lebanon security talks in Paris to focus on post-UNIFIL alternatives
The security talks come as Israeli forces continue attacks across southern Lebanon despite a "ceasefire".
UK charities, protest groups condemn Israeli ban threat after sanctions
Having warned London of 'consequences' for sanctions, Israel targets UK charities, campaign groups and Palestine Action.
UN mission finds grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran
UN mission finds grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran GENEVA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - A UN fact-finding mission on Iran said on Thursday it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes. It also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. The findings in a new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, examined the US's conduct during the Iran war that began in February and the Iranian government's response to nationwide unrest that begun in late December. The Iranian and US permanent missions in Geneva did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. US officials have previously said military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict, while Iran has consistently rejected allegations of systematic rights violations. Minab school strike The UN experts said they found reasonable grounds to believe US forces were responsible for an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the city of Minab, where more than 150 people were killed, including around 120 schoolchildren, according to Iranian officials. The attack constituted an indiscriminate attack causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law, the mission concluded. According to the report, the US relied on intelligence suggesting a senior Iranian military commander was present at the site but failed to adequately verify the information before launching the strike. Investigators said the failure to update targeting intelligence and confirm the building was a military objective amounted to more than mere negligence. "Rather, the US directed the strikes at the building of the school while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object and acting recklessly as regards the possibility that this would happen." In June US President Donald Trump said that "nobody" purposefully attacked a girls' school in Iran in February, citing an investigation into the incident. Reuters first reported that an initial internal U.S. military investigation showed US forces were likely responsible for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran. The Pentagon has since elevated the probe but it has not published any preliminary findings. UN experts said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian object and found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. The experts reached a similar conclusion over a strike on a sports centre in Lamerd. The report said the attack damaged nearby residential buildings and a school and killed and injured 22 civilians. It concluded that the strike was indiscriminate and therefore constituted a war crime. US Central Command said in a statement in March that US forces did not launch any strikes into the city of Lamerd on that day. Iran abuses The UN mission probe found that the Iranian authorities carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians during protests that erupted in late December last year, involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. Rights groups say bystanders were among those killed during the biggest crackdown since Shi'ite Muslim clerics took power in the 1979 revolution. Tehran blamed "terrorists and rioters" backed by exiled opponents and foreign foes the US and Israel. The probe said it could not independently verify the death toll, but that it believed the number of dead and injured was likely far higher than official figures which say 3,038 people were killed, and 25,000 people injured. The government's response to the protests - including violence and killings, cutting off the internet and use of the death penalty, marked a significant escalation from previous patterns of suppressing dissent, the report said. (Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
Press review: EU chief calls for arming bloc and Middle East conflict hits global economy
Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, September 17th
America's cyber strategy overlooks the infrastructure that actually keeps the military moving
America’s cyber strategy overlooks the infrastructure that actually keeps the military moving There is little reason to believe the war with Iran will end anytime soon. Even as efforts to resolve the conflict continue, Iran remains unpredictable, with an enduring ability to disrupt shipping and energy markets via actions in the Strait of Hormuz. So what does a prolonged conflict mean for cybersecurity here at home? U.S. agencies need to prepare for sustained Iranian cyber operations and conduct defensive wargames now. I spent part of my career in Navy intelligence supporting expeditionary and special warfare operations. This experience taught me to look beyond individual attacks to the larger objectives they serve. Iran’s likely objectives are relatively straightforward: impose enough pain on critical infrastructure, businesses, and public services to increase pressure on Washington, while disrupting the industrial and civilian systems that allow the U.S. to sustain military operations. Iran may not be a top-tier cyber power like China or Russia, but it doesn’t have to be. We recently mapped 130 documented attack techniques used by five Iranian threat groups. Much of their playbook relies on well-known, repeatable techniques rather than advanced capabilities. Success does not require extraordinary capabilities, only the ability to create enough disruption, uncertainty, and delay is enough. America’s greatest vulnerability may not be any single network or piece of critical infrastructure, but the links in between. Critical infrastructure: Prepare for volume, not just catastrophe When Americans imagine a cyberattack on critical infrastructure, we tend to think of catastrophic events, such as a large-scale blackout, a poisoned water supply, or some other digital Pearl Harbor. But in an extended conflict, the more realistic possibility is persistent attacks across many targets. Small water systems, manufacturers, transportation providers, energy infrastructure, and local governments all serve as disruptive targets. The recent string of attacks on mostly smaller water utilities across 12 states is a prime example; so too is the four-day outage of a small-scale power plant in the UK. Attackers do not need to destroy these systems. Any intrusion that manipulates industrial systems, interrupts operations, or forces operators to determine whether equipment can still be trusted consumes valuable time and resources. Multiply that across dozens of organizations, and federal, state, local, and private-sector response capacity will be stretched thin. The cumulative strain on the country’s ability to respond may be more important than any single attack. Iran does not need the world’s most sophisticated cyber force if its affiliated hacking groups can generate problems faster than cyber defenders can investigate and remediate them. Defense contractors must prepare for destructive attacks Defense contractors have long faced espionage threats targeting military secrets. While that threat remains, the war has significantly changed Iran’s motives and risk calculus. The same access used to steal information from the defense industrial base (DIB) can also be used to destroy data and disrupt operations. Destructive malware such as wipers and ransomware could destroy engineering files, disable production systems or force manufacturers offline, directly affecting the military’s ability to replenish equipment and supplies. An attacker does not have to shut down production to disrupt it. Consider a compromised calibration setting, altered test result, or unauthorized change to engineering data. Discovering that an adversary had persistent access to a manufacturing environment raises difficult questions: Which files were touched? Which designs can still be trusted? Which components were manufactured from them? The incident quickly becomes a production problem as parts must be quarantined, engineering data re-validated, and products retested. NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC provide an essential security baseline, which makes the current pause in CMMC implementation particularly concerning. However, contractors must also be prepared to operate through destructive attacks and establish that their systems, data, and products can still be trusted. This preparedness must extend down the supply chain, where a smaller manufacturer, software provider, or managed service provider may present a greater vulnerability than a well-defended prime. The military attack surface extends far beyond DoD networks The U.S. military is extraordinarily capable at defending its own networks, but its operations depend on infrastructure it doesn’t own or control. Troops and equipment move on commercial railroads, materiel flows through commercial ports, and military airlift can depend on commercial carriers. Military installations and defense contractors also depend on commercial power, telecommunications, and other infrastructure. In an ongoing conflict, those dependencies become part of the attack surface. An adversary like Iran does not have to penetrate military command-and-control to interfere with these operations. At a time when speed matters most, cyberattacks that disrupt port scheduling, corrupt logistics information, or degrade power and communications can introduce critical delays and uncertainty that hamper operations. This is why the line between civilian and military infrastructure becomes blurred during a conflict. A commercial railroad carrying military equipment to a strategic port may be civilian infrastructure administratively, but operationally it is part of the nation’s ability to operate its military power. The same is true of the utilities, communications providers, and other civilian infrastructure supporting military installations and defense production. Their resilience can quickly become a matter of military readiness. Cyber defense must cross organizational boundaries American cybersecurity is organized around sectors, organizations, and authorities that make administrative sense, but aren’t necessarily designed for wartime. The boundaries between them can become a serious liability. Our adversaries in Tehran do not care about administrative boundaries. They care about weak spots. A vulnerability anywhere in the chain connecting civilian infrastructure, industrial production, transportation, communications, and military operations can affect everything downstream. We need to ask: Who is responsible for the cyber resilience of a commercial railroad essential to a military deployment? Who ensures the utility serving a critical defense manufacturer can withstand a sustained nation-state campaign? Who identifies the supplier whose failure could disrupt multiple defense programs? And who coordinates the response when several are attacked simultaneously? Those questions should shape how we prepare. Critical infrastructure exercises should assume simultaneous incidents across multiple sectors and regions. We should also be extremely cautious about weakening the incentives driving cybersecurity improvements across the DIB, such as the current pause on CMMC. Additionally, defense manufacturers should also test their ability to operate through destructive attacks and determine whether their engineering data, production systems, and finished products can still be trusted. DoD exercises should treat civilian infrastructure, including rail, ports, energy, and communications, as a routine part of the operating environment and an attractive target for adversaries. Catastrophic scenarios deserve attention, but exercises should also account for lower-level attacks that are less spectacular but still highly consequential. Iran does not need overwhelming cyber capability to impose significant costs. Persistent disruption at home can increase political and economic pressure surrounding the war, while disruption of defense production and military logistics can make it harder for the U.S. to sustain operations abroad. We have spent years strengthening the individual pieces of America’s cyber defenses. A prolonged war with Iran may test the links between them.
‘They called us’: Has Trump abandoned Bab al-Mandeb to the Houthis?
Washington’s response to the Houthi advance exposes the limits of the US security umbrella in the Gulf.
From Yanbu to Sohar: Tracking Saudi Arabia’s alternative oil routes
The world's second-largest crude exporter is rerouting crude via dark shipments and ship-to-ship transfers off Oman.
Iran school bombing: grounds to believe US was behind atrocity, UN finds
A UN fact-finding mission on Iran has said there are reasonable grounds to believe the US was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes. It also found Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. The findings by the independent international fact-finding mission on Iran, to be submitted to the UN human rights council in Geneva, examined the US’s conduct during the Iran war that began in February and the Iranian government’s response to nationwide unrest that begun in late December. US officials have previously said military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict, while Iran has consistently rejected allegations of systematic rights violations. The UN experts said they found reasonable grounds to believe US forces were responsible for an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in the city of Minab, where more than 150 people were killed, including around 120 schoolchildren, according to Iranian officials. It constituted an indiscriminate attack causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law, the mission concluded. According to the report, the US relied on intelligence suggesting a senior Iranian military commander was present at the site but failed to adequately verify the information before launching the strike. Investigators said the failure to update targeting intelligence and confirm the building was a military objective amounted to more than mere negligence. “Rather, the US directed the strikes at the building of the school while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object and acting recklessly as regards the possibility that this would happen.” In June the US president, Donald Trump, said that “nobody” purposefully attacked a girls’ school in Iran in February, citing an investigation into the incident. Reuters first reported that an initial internal US military investigation showed US forces were probably responsible for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran. The Pentagon has since elevated the inquiry but it has not published any preliminary findings. UN experts said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian object and found no evidence it was being used for military purposes. The experts reached a similar conclusion over a strike on a sports centre in Lamerd. The report said the attack damaged nearby residential buildings and a school and killed and injured 22 civilians. It concluded that the strike was indiscriminate and therefore constituted a war crime. US Central Command said in a statement in March that US forces did not launch any strikes into the city of Lamerd on that day. The UN mission found that the Iranian authorities carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians during protests that erupted in late December last year, involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. Rights groups say bystanders were among those killed during the biggest crackdown since Shia Muslim clerics took power in the 1979 revolution. Tehran blamed “terrorists and rioters” backed by exiled opponents and foreign foes the US and Israel. The investigation said it could not independently verify the death toll, but that it believed the number of dead and injured was probably far higher than official figures, which say 3,038 people were killed and 25,000 people injured. The government’s response to the protests, including violence and killings, cutting off the internet and use of the death penalty, marked a significant escalation from previous patterns of suppressing dissent, the report said.
Syrian man uncovers library hidden behind wall for 15 years
Abu Bilal built a secret wall in his home to protect his books from Syria’s former Assad regime.
Palestinians use radio to navigate Israeli occupation and pogroms
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim explains how Palestinians use local radio to navigate Israel's occupation and settler pogroms.
UN mission believes US behind strikes on Iran school
A UN fact-finding mission on Iran said it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes. It also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. The findings in a new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, examined the US's conduct during the Iran war that began in February and the Iranian government's response to nationwide unrest that begun in late December. The Iranian and US permanent missions in Geneva did not immediately respond to requests for comment. US officials have previously said military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict, while Iran has consistently rejected allegations of systematic rights violations. More than 120 children killed in Minab school strike The UN experts said they found reasonable grounds to believe US forces were responsible for an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the city of Minab, where more than 150 people were killed, including around 120 schoolchildren, according to Iranian officials. The attack constituted an indiscriminate attack causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law, the mission concluded. According to the report, the US relied on intelligence suggesting a senior Iranian military commander was present at the site but failed to adequately verify the information before launching the strike. Investigators said the failure to update targeting intelligence and confirm the building was a military objective amounted to more than mere negligence. "Rather, the US directed the strikes at the building of the school while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object and acting recklessly as regards the possibility that this would happen." In June US President Donald Trump said that "nobody" purposefully attacked a girls' school in Iran in February, citing an investigation into the incident. Reuters first reported that an initial internal US military investigation showed US forces were likely responsible for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran. The Pentagon has since elevated the probe but it has not published any preliminary findings. UN experts said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian object and found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. The experts reached a similar conclusion over a strike on a sports centre in Lamerd. The report said the attack damaged nearby residential buildings and a school and killed and injured 22 civilians. It concluded that the strike was indiscriminate and therefore constituted a war crime. US Central Command said in a statement in March that US forces did not launch any strikes into the city of Lamerd on that day. Iran abuses The UN mission probe found that the Iranian authorities carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians during protests that erupted in late December last year, involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. Rights groups say bystanders were among those killed during the biggest crackdown since Shi'ite Muslim clerics took power in the 1979 revolution. Tehran blamed "terrorists and rioters" backed by exiled opponents and foreign foes the US and Israel. The probe said it could not independently verify the death toll, but that it believed the number of dead and injured was likely far higher than official figures which say 3,038 people were killed, and 25,000 people injured. The government's response to the protests - including violence and killings, cutting off the internet and use of the death penalty, marked a significant escalation from previous patterns of suppressing dissent, the report said.
Israel Falls Behind on the Bench and at the Ballot Box
Israel Falls Behind on the Bench and at the Ballot Box (machine-translated headline from a Turkish-language source)
Robert Kraft says Ed Sheeran asked him to match singer's $2M aid donation - UPI.com
Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Billionaire Robert Kraft, the chief executive officer and chairman of the Kraft Group, said Ed Sheeran asked him to match the singer's $2 million donation for those suffering from Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, where they play, issued the statement Wednesday, amid fallout over Macklemore's removal from the Loop tour following comments the rapper made in support of Palestinians earlier this month. Kraft said Sheeran asked him to match the singer's own $2 million donation "to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis" and that Sheeran "now plans to reach out to other venue owners." "Our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges," Kraft said. Earlier Wednesday, Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, announced online that he would donate $1 million of his earnings from the Loop tour to six organizations supporting Palestinians and invited Kraft to do the same. Kraft, in his statement, said Sheeran's request for the $2 million donation came before Macklemore's challenge. "I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people," Kraft said, adding that he would like the supporters of Palestinians to know that he has for decades supported efforts "that create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs and forge relationships." On Monday, Macklemore made public that he was booted from Sheeran's tour. In a statement, Macklemore said Sheeran told him that Kraft would not allow him to perform at Gillette Stadium and that Kraft and other stadium owners gave Sheeran an ultimatum: If Macklemore stayed on the tour, Sheeran would not be allowed to play at those venues. Macklemore said the ultimatum followed his expressions of support for Palestinians and a free Palestine while opening for Sheeran on Sept. 4 and 5 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. On Tuesday, Sheeran said that it was the promoter's decision to drop Macklemore from the tour, not his. Macklemore's removal has drawn criticism of both Kraft and Sheeran. Amid the fallout, all four remaining supporting acts announced they were withdrawing from the tour. Sheeran is next scheduled to perform Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia followed by two shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Sept. 25 and 26.
India to take necessary measures following US adoption of Russia-Iran sanctions act — MFA
According to the statement, India remains firmly committed to ensuring energy security