The New York Times concluded after an investigation that the attack on a girls' school in Iran, which killed 175 people, may have involved the Pentagon.
The newspaper believes the strike on the school was part of an attack on a naval base near southern Iran, where U.S. personnel said there were U.S. military activities.
"The New York Times has collected a series of evidence—including newly released satellite images, social media posts, and verified videos—that show the school building was precisely targeted, and the attack occurred at the same time as an attack on a nearby naval base."
Analysis of these materials and photos and videos taken by witnesses within one hour after the attack confirmed that the school and the naval base were hit simultaneously.
Images show that at least six buildings of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and this school were hit multiple times with precise strikes. Four buildings inside the naval base were completely destroyed, and two others had their roofs struck in the center—characteristic of precise strikes."
A source expert concluded that all buildings, including the school, were subjected to "extremely precise strikes," so he believes the possibility of missile deviation is extremely low.
"The expert said the most likely explanation is a target identification error—that U.S. forces attacked a target but did not know there were many civilians there."
The New York Times also reviewed satellite images from 2013, which indicated that the school was located within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's naval base. However, the images showed that by September 2016, the building had been separated and was no longer connected to the base.
The report confirmed that from the satellite images, it was easy to see that the building had typical characteristics of a school—including a playground and other later-added activity areas.
Beth Van Schaack, a former U.S. State Department official and lecturer at the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford University, said, "With U.S. intelligence capabilities, they should have known there was a school nearby."
The newspaper also refuted online claims that the school attack was caused by an out-of-control Iranian missile. The analysis of The New York Times and other experts rejected this assumption: a random launch could not have caused such precise and simultaneous damage to multiple buildings in the base.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1858899346428940/
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