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A Pentagon spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the congressional outreach.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should all feel deeply ashamed by the killing of 175 civilians, mostly little children, who have nothing to do with this awful, reckless war,\u201d one of the lawmakers who signed the letter, Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., said in a statement. \u201cIf the United States is indeed responsible for this attack, then this Administration needs to immediately take responsibility, be held accountable, and make amends to the survivors and loved ones of the victims. Instead, President Trump is denying any U.S. involvement in this strike and blaming Iran without any evidence and before the investigation is even complete. I will keep pushing for answers and accountability \u2014 not just for this strike, but for the broader pattern of civilian harm from U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has said, without evidence, that Iran may be responsible for the attack \u2014 a position that is at odds with the preliminary findings of the U.S. military\u2019s investigation.<\/p>\n
Asked if the U.S. struck the school in Iran, Trump told reporters on Saturday: \u201cNo, in my opinion, and based on what I\u2019ve seen, that was done by Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hegseth was with Trump as he spoke with reporters, and when asked if it was true that Iran struck the school, he said, \u201cWe\u2019re certainly investigating,\u201d adding that \u201cthe only side that targets civilians is Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n
The law of armed conflict dictates that the U.S. must distinguish between civilians and combatants and take all possible measures to protect civilians. But just several days into the war, Hegseth said there would be \u201cno stupid rules of engagement\u201d for Operation Epic Fury, the current U.S. military operation in Iran.<\/p>\n
Rules of engagement define how the military can and should operate in a conflict in line with the law of armed conflict. They often define who and what can be targeted in a specific conflict.<\/p>\n
In a video released Wednesday morning, the commander of U.S. Central Command acknowledged the U.S. is using AI in the war in Iran.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur war fighters are leveraging a variety of advanced AI tools. These systems help us sift through vast amounts of data in seconds so our leaders can cut through the noise and make smarter decisions faster than the enemy can react,\u201d Adm. Brad Cooper said in the video produced by CENTCOM and released on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cHumans will always make final decisions on what to shoot and what not to shoot and when to shoot, but advanced AI tools can turn processes that used to take hours and sometimes even days into seconds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Hegseth accused Iran of using civilian areas to carry out military operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey fire missiles from schools and hospitals deliberately, deliberately targeting innocents because they know their military is being systematically degraded and annihilated,\u201d Hegseth said at a briefing at the Pentagon. He did not provide evidence to support the claim.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, CENTCOM released a safety warning to Iranian civilians, saying that the Iranian regime is using heavily populated civilian areas to conduct military operations, including launching drones and ballistic missiles. CENTCOM urged civilians to stay inside because as the regime moves equipment like mobile launchers into civilian areas, that equipment could become a legitimate military target under international law.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not our target,\u201d a U.S. official said of civilians, adding that Iran\u2019s security apparatus continues to be the U.S. military\u2019s target. \u201cWe will do everything we can to mitigate harm to civilians, but we cannot guarantee it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n