Israeli strikes on Iran may have violated international law, UN mission says

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GENEVA (Reuters) -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 June 13 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 experts call on the Iranian authorities to relocate prisoners away from locations at risk from the airstrikes,” 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.

(Reporting by Emma FargeEditing by Ludwig Burger and Toby Chopra)