The UN Office for Human Rights has called for the opening of an international investigation following the attack on a girls’ school in Iran, resulting in nearly 200 victims. According to the institution, the bombing could constitute a war crime, and those responsible must be held accountable, reports IPN referring to Mediafax.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated that the responsibility to investigate the attack falls on the forces that committed it. “We ask them to make their findings public and to ensure the accountability of those guilty, as well as the compensation of the victims,” added Volker Türk.

The Iranian authorities have announced that at least 168 girls aged between 7 and 12 years old died in the Saturday morning attack on a primary school. Among the victims are also 26 teachers, as well as four parents.

On Tuesday, thousands of people gathered in the city of Minab for a mass funeral ceremony, according to Iranian press.

Representatives of the Israeli army have stated that they had no information about an attack in the area at that time and that they are analyzing the reports that have emerged, a similar position being expressed by the United States as well.

International humanitarian law imposes on all parties involved in a conflict the obligation to distinguish between civilians and military objectives – the principle of distinction. The destruction of civilian property is permitted only if it is proportional to a concrete military advantage and limited to the strict necessity.

Attacks that do not respect these rules may constitute war crimes, specified a spokeswoman for the UN Office for Human Rights. However, the institution emphasized that, at this stage, it does not have enough information to draw a definitive conclusion in this case.