Multiple weapons experts have disputed a U.S. claim that Iran may have been responsible for a deadly strike on the town of Lamerd on the first day of the war. Six experts—who examined footage of the strike and all commented independently—contested the U.S. suggestion that it was an Iranian missile, citing the missile's visual features, the way it exploded, its trajectory, and the number of strikes in the area as the basis for their analysis. Iranian officials have said 21 people, including four children, were killed.
BBC Verify originally reported on the strikes on 28 March, with experts suggesting that a U.S. Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) was likely utilized. The U.S. Central Command (Centcom), which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, declined to comment for that report. Centcom released a statement on 31 March denying it was a U.S. missile, instead asserting the footage was consistent with an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile, and claimed that U.S. forces do not target civilians, unlike the Iranian regime which has attacked civilian locations in neighboring countries more than 300 times.
However, when BBC Verify went back to Centcom with the experts' analysis, it said it had nothing to add to its original statement. Lamerd, a town in southern Iran, came under attack on 28 February. CCTV footage published by Iranian state media—authenticated and geolocated by BBC Verify—showed a munition moments before it exploded above a residential area. Experts identified it as likely being a U.S. missile based on its appearance, the size of the blast, and the distance from potential U.S. launch sites.
In their analyses, multiple experts pointed out that the appearance and characteristics of the munition identified in the footage did not align with those of the Iranian Hoveyzeh missile. They noted distinguishing features of the Hoveyzeh that were not visible in the footage of the Lamerd strike.
The incident has raised moral and legal questions regarding military responsibilities and the safeguarding of civilian populations in conflict areas. As investigations continue, the dialogue surrounding responsibility for the attack epitomizes the complexities and challenges of warfare in modern military conflicts.
BBC Verify originally reported on the strikes on 28 March, with experts suggesting that a U.S. Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) was likely utilized. The U.S. Central Command (Centcom), which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, declined to comment for that report. Centcom released a statement on 31 March denying it was a U.S. missile, instead asserting the footage was consistent with an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile, and claimed that U.S. forces do not target civilians, unlike the Iranian regime which has attacked civilian locations in neighboring countries more than 300 times.
However, when BBC Verify went back to Centcom with the experts' analysis, it said it had nothing to add to its original statement. Lamerd, a town in southern Iran, came under attack on 28 February. CCTV footage published by Iranian state media—authenticated and geolocated by BBC Verify—showed a munition moments before it exploded above a residential area. Experts identified it as likely being a U.S. missile based on its appearance, the size of the blast, and the distance from potential U.S. launch sites.
In their analyses, multiple experts pointed out that the appearance and characteristics of the munition identified in the footage did not align with those of the Iranian Hoveyzeh missile. They noted distinguishing features of the Hoveyzeh that were not visible in the footage of the Lamerd strike.
The incident has raised moral and legal questions regarding military responsibilities and the safeguarding of civilian populations in conflict areas. As investigations continue, the dialogue surrounding responsibility for the attack epitomizes the complexities and challenges of warfare in modern military conflicts.
