Nearly 1,500 civilian deaths in a month of US-Israel strikes on Iran: Human rights report

HOUSTON, United States

The civilian death toll from the US-Israeli war in Iran has reached nearly 1,500, according to a report released Friday by the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), an independent organization that documents and verifies human rights violations in the Middle Eastern nation.

HRA reported that at least 1,443 civilians have been killed by US-Israeli airstrikes in Iran during around one month of the war, between Feb. 28 and March 23. Children account for at least 217 of those fatalities.

The deadliest day recorded by the organization was March 9, when at least 252 civilians were killed in a barrage of almost 400 strikes across Iran.

The nonprofit London-based group Airwars reported at least another 130 accounts of civilian injuries in Iran due to the airstrikes, "including attacks on healthcare, education facilities, and residential areas."

HRA's official numbers revealed that 37% of confirmed attacks took place in Tehran’s urban areas, with the group verifying damage to 60 hospitals or medical centers, 44 schools, and 129 residential buildings, while government data indicate that more than 16,000 homes have been damaged. The group also noted that 543 strikes targeted dual-use infrastructure, "including energy and transport systems essential to civilian life."

In addition to the civilian deaths, injuries, and infrastructure destruction, HRA reported that approximately 3.2 million people have been displaced from their homes, according to UN figures.

The human rights organization has also "documented how Iranian civilians have faced intensified domestic repression since Feb. 28, including expanded arbitrary arrests (at least 1,830 as of March 19), restrictive security controls, and inflammatory official rhetoric threatening arrest and even death to perceived opponents."

HRA added that civilian vulnerability has also been "compounded by restricted access to information and movement."

"Internet connectivity has dropped to approximately 1% of normal levels, with associated economic losses estimated at $37 million per day," according to the group's report.

HRA said it expects the number of civilian deaths, injuries, and infrastructure damage to increase, as the US-Israeli war on Iran extends toward its second month.

Hostilities in the region have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran has retaliated with waves of drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, inflicting casualties and infrastructure damage while disrupting global markets and aviation.

HOUSTON, United States

The deadliest day recorded by the organization was March 9, when at least 252 civilians were killed in a barrage of almost 400 strikes across Iran.

In addition to the civilian deaths, injuries, and infrastructure destruction, HRA reported that approximately 3.2 million people have been displaced from their homes, according to UN figures.

HRA added that civilian vulnerability has also been "compounded by restricted access to information and movement."

"Internet connectivity has dropped to approximately 1% of normal levels, with associated economic losses estimated at $37 million per day," according to the group's report.

HRA said it expects the number of civilian deaths, injuries, and infrastructure damage to increase, as the US-Israeli war on Iran extends toward its second month.