Let's face it Iran is indiscriminatly hitting Israeli civilians targets including schools using cluster bombs.....

[mids2019]

Iran is firing missiles into heavily populated Israeli towns and have abandoned the pretence of targeting anything military.....this is just pure terrorism and does make you think what would happen if Iran did manage to develop a nuclear weapon.

Just hoping more of the missile launch sites can be taken out and this terrorist regime falls.

As has been said here for two years. That's what happens in war.

I think the use of cluster bombs removes any argument is trying to hit military facilities and is essentially engaged in state terrorism.

If the US and Israel wanted to use the same tactics there would be many Iranians dead as Tehran would be carpet bombed. The US and Israel have not done this.

There will always be civilian casualties in War but the recent Iranian strikes could not be argued to have military targets. It's as if some think accusations of war crimes only apply to democracies not terror states

There is not even the pretence of these being military targets. The IGRC aren't exactly going minimise civilian casualties at this point.

Israel has to respond by destroying Irans potential to continue its terror. (Also it's becoming increasingly likely they may target other countries)

The Israeli military has repeatedly used cluster munitions illegally in populated areas of Lebanon going back decades, including during its attacks and invasions in 1978, 1982, 2006 and 2025. Israel refused to be signatory to the convention on cluster missiles. Israel are obviously pro the use of cluster munitions as gross as that is so I'm sure expect them to be used against them as they use them against others.

This is presumably in contrast to the precision strikes that Israel has carried out in Gaza.

they are as bad as each other in this respect

Detailed run down of Israel’s repeated use of cluster bombs, together with citations here:
https://imeu.org/resources/key-issues/quick-facts-israels-illegal-use-of-cluster-bombs/460

to repeat, they are as bad as each other

The use of highly destructive weapons in populated areas which are likely to cause indiscriminate death and injury is a war crime and fundamentally wrong. No matter which country is doing the bombing.

you’ll find many of us here have pointed this out before.

As an aside it is the wonderful Elbit Systems that manufacturered the cluster munitions Israel used in Labanon last year. Israeli media described the cluster munitions they used as guided missiles that hold 64 bomblets each, which “scatter in a large radius and kill everyone present”.

The legality of cluster munition usage for non-signatory countries is dependent on the circumstances of the strikes they were used in, as well as the intentions of the military personnel involved in their use. Do you know the intentions of their use or the circumstances to state that they are being used illegally?

If you want to be protected by conventions and laws then you need to sign up to them and start abiding by these laws and conventions. Otherwise everything is just a shade of grey and no one can really say if you are acting illegally or not which is exactly why I expect Israel have not signed up.

Of course the Iranian regime doesn't care about Israeli civilians.

Just like the Israeli regime doesn't care about Palestinian civilians.

And the American regime doesn't care about Iranian civilians.

And none of them really care about their own civilians either.

This cannot be news to you?!

And have been told that they shouldn't have started a war if they didn't want to deal with the consequences after speaking about 2000lb bombs being dropped on cafes.

I am in genuine disbelief that the pp's can post this without irony.

No the IGRC don't care about minimising civilian casualties.

According to Human Rights Watch, civilians in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are at grave risk from ongoing Iranian strikes in response to US and Israeli military attacks on Iran.

Many of the Iranian attacks have struck civilian residential buildings, hotels, civilian airports, and embassies, and have unlawfully targeted civilian objects such as financial centres.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/17/iran-unlawful-strikes-across-gulf-endanger-civilians

Why would you think the Iranian government would care about minimising civilian casualties @mids2019 ?

And say that everything that happens in Gaza including those 2000lb bombs being dropped was the fault of Hamas and Israel bears no responsibility because 'Hamas started it'.

Israel started this so presumably following the logic of the past 2 years everything that follows Israels attack is Israels fault.

We don't make the rules, we've just been told we are a bit thick for not understanding them for the past 2 years. Suddenly though it seems that the people who spent the past two years repeating those rules can't seem to remember them.

I agree. Targeting civilians is horrific but I’m not sure how any of these countries’ governments can be surprised when they do it to others, and it then happens to them?

@Twiglets1 @mids2019

Why have the rules of war changed because the victims are not from Palestine and the bombs are not being dropped by Israel?

Absolutely this

Qatar rejects Iran's denial of civilian targets as attacks continue

Qatar said no conflict mediation was under way as Iranian attacks continued, with almost all threats intercepted so far. Doha hailed Europe's defence support, calling for "important increase in our defence and security partnerships with Europe."

Qatar has rejected Iranian claims that its strikes do not target civilian locations, as missile and drone attacks on the country continue despite appearing less intense in recent days, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Dr Majed Al-Ansari said in a briefing on Monday.

“I find it very difficult to even respond to what Mr Aragchi said in light of the fact that these attacks are ongoing every day,” Al-Ansari told reporters, referring to the Iranian foreign minister's denial that Tehran would target civilian sites.

“Since the Iranian attacks have started on Qatar, the threats and the attacks on civilian targets have not stopped,” Al-Ansari said.

“These attacks have targeted our LNG facilities in Ras Laffan, they have targeted the industrial complex in Mesaieed, they have targeted the airport, Hamad International Airport, and they have targeted residential areas,” he added.

https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/16/qatar-rejects-irans-denial-of-civilian-targets-as-attacks-continue

Yes it’s awful that people are being hurt and killed because of Israel and US aggression. Who really is killing and hurting the most people?

I find it incredible that the Iranians are painted as the loose cannons here. Do you imagine we can’t see?

Follow Spain and Canada. Bypass those who can’t follow international law. Say no to war. Say enough.

Exactly. I don’t understand why one particular regime is worse than another when they are all killing civilians.

Exactly. 'Who started it' is an unanswerable and therefore pointless question in the context of the Middle East. You would need a window back to prehistory, and even then there would be no easy answer.

It's a question, now, of how the parties carry it on.

Hamas murders civilians
Iran uses cluster bombs to kill civilians
Israel uses cluster bombs to kill civilians
Israel has bombed Gaza into oblivion, killing almost 100,000, a majority children
To varying degrees, the UK and US have supported Israel

None of these parties - or their apologists - is entitled to be outraged about the actions of the others. They need to address their own behaviour first.

Are you sure they're not just misfired Israeli rockets? Like every time a Palestinian or Iranian hospital or school is hit it's really, conveniently, a misfiring Palestinian or Iranian rocket? Or is the Iranian propaganda machine not that powerful? Ultimately there has been on aggressor here and expecting anyone to not respond to war-led attempts at domination is fucking stupid.

Nobody should be targeting schools, hospital, residential areas. They always do.

Why the United Arab Emirates is a target for Iran’s aggression

Airports in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, residential buildings, hotels in both Emirates, Dubai’s International Financial Center, Jebel Ali Port and the U.S. consulate in Dubai have all been targeted, despite the Iranian government telling CNBC its attacks on Gulf neighbors are limited to U.S. bases in the region.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/15/iran-us-war-uae-target-aggression.html

Let me rephrase that @Martymcfly24

The "rules of war" have not changed - or rather, the apparent lack of rules in wartime.

What has changed is that this time it is Iran that are being pulled up on targeting civilian areas including residential areas, hotels and international airports.

And there doesn't appear to be much outrage about it, compared to the outrage that gets directed at Israel or the US when they cause civilian injuries or deaths.