UNICEF says attack on school would violate international law

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is “deeply concerned” about the bombings in Iran.

“There are reports of attacks on schools in Iran, including a girls’ school in Minab,” the German office of the children’s aid organization said in Cologne on Sunday. “Attacks against civilians and civilian objects, including schools, constitute a violation of international law.”

At least 108 students were killed in a rocket attack in the south of the country, according to Iranian sources. A girls’ primary school in Hormozgan province was hit, the official IRNA news agency reported. Dozens of additional students were reportedly injured.

These claims cannot be independently verified.

UNICEF called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The children’s aid organization also called on all parties involved in the conflict to exercise maximum restraint and respect their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law. This includes, in particular, the protection of the civilian population and the services on which children depend for their survival.