Civilians bear the brunt, with deadly US strikes in Iran and thousands displaced in Yemen

Independent UN human rights investigators called for an immediate cessation of hostilities on Monday following a series of United States airstrikes on Iran in recent weeks that have killed civilians as tensions ripple through the region.“These strikes are yet another devastating reminder of the human cost of the conflict between the United States and Israel and Iran,” said Sara Hossain, chair of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.Civilian deaths have been recorded since the first days of the US-Israeli attacks in February, including strikes on a school that killed over 160 children.“Civilians must be protected at all times, and constant care must be taken to spare civilians and civilians objects from the effect of hostilities,” she said.Possible war crimesDespite insisting that its military was not targeting civilians, US strikes hit a residential home on 30 July and a wedding celebration on 1 September, killing and injuring families, including women and children from marginalised minority communities, according to credible reports obtained by the mission.Mission member Max du Plessis said “repeated airstrikes causing civilian casualties raise serious questions about whet...