Multiple weapons experts have disputed a US 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 US 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 initially reported on this situation, citing experts who suggested that a US Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) was likely used. The US Central Command (Centcom) denied these claims, asserting that the footage was consistent with an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile. They stated, US forces do not target civilians, unlike the Iranian regime which has attacked civilian locations in neighboring countries more than 300 times.
However, experts presenting their analysis found distinctive features of the Hoveyzeh missile absent in the strike footage. Meanwhile, the Lamerd attack and similar attacks in the region have left experts and officials grappling with the implications of these claims amidst ongoing military conflict.
The situation remains fluid, as BBC Verify continues its investigation into the details of this strike and the broader context of military conflict in the region.
BBC Verify initially reported on this situation, citing experts who suggested that a US Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) was likely used. The US Central Command (Centcom) denied these claims, asserting that the footage was consistent with an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile. They stated, US forces do not target civilians, unlike the Iranian regime which has attacked civilian locations in neighboring countries more than 300 times.
However, experts presenting their analysis found distinctive features of the Hoveyzeh missile absent in the strike footage. Meanwhile, the Lamerd attack and similar attacks in the region have left experts and officials grappling with the implications of these claims amidst ongoing military conflict.
The situation remains fluid, as BBC Verify continues its investigation into the details of this strike and the broader context of military conflict in the region.
