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Martin Pfister on 11 March 2025 [Bundeskanzlei/Wikipedia]
Swiss Defense Minister Martin Pfister criticized the United States and Israel for airstrikes against Iran, saying their actions, along with those of Tehran, violated international law, Sonntags Zeitung newspaper reported on Sunday, Anadolu reports.
“The Americans and Israel have attacked Iran from the air. In doing so, they, like Iran, have violated international law,” Pfister said, calling on the warring parties to cease violence and protect the civilian population.
He also warned that Europe could be drawn into the conflict, not only through conventional military engagement but through asymmetric warfare such as terrorist attacks.
“There is a risk of terrorist attacks in Switzerland. In addition, the war could trigger a wave of refugees that will also reach us,” Pfister said.
While he does not believe Switzerland is directly threatened by Iranian long‑range missiles, Pfister said the possibility of collateral damage cannot be ruled out.
“We currently have nothing to defend against long-range attacks,” he said.
He stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to security that goes beyond purely military preparedness, citing the importance of police and intelligence services.
The minister said that threat assessments had been underestimated in recent decades, adding: “Our perfected society with its prosperity is still a long way from the current conflicts… This war, as bad as it is, could also trigger a rethink in this country, which is urgently needed.”
Tensions in the Middle East have soared since the US and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,200 people to date, including Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, over 150 schoolgirls, and senior military officials.
Iran has retaliated with sweeping strikes targeting US bases, diplomatic facilities, and military personnel across the region, as well as multiple Israeli cities.
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A view of the debris of a school, where many students and teachers lost their lives on the first day of the wave of attacks launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, in the southern town of Minab on March 5, 2026. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Trump loves putting his name on things, but this should be the only building for which he is remembered by history.”
The bombing of a primary school by US-Israeli coalition forces in southern Iranian town of Minab that killed an estimated 160 or more civilians—mostly children—on February 28 should be investigated as a possible war crime, Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.
After reviewing satellite footage from before and after the strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school—as well as reviewing video taken in the wake of the bombing and other materials—the international human rights group said the available evidence indicates “that the attack was carried out by highly accurate, guided munitions, rather than errant weapons whose guidance or propulsion systems failed or were otherwise disrupted and randomly struck the area.”
The attack on the school would be among the deadliest war crimes against civilians by US forces in years. Occurring on the first day of bombings of what President Donald Trump and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dubbed Operation Epic Fury, the slaughter of schoolchildren—though the US has denied responsibility thus far—coincides with Hegseth repeatedly bragging that the US military would no longer follow “stupid rules of engagement” in the execution of its operations.
“The school was in use, and children were in attendance on the day of the attack,” the group said. “Human Rights Watch found no evidence that would indicate that the school was being used for military purposes, though researchers were not able to speak to witnesses of the strikes, families of those killed, or other informed sources.”
President Trump should hold Secretary Hegseth and everyone else responsible for killing Iranian children accountable, and bring this illegal, unnecessary war of choice to an end.“
According to HRW:
The United States should immediately assess its responsibility for this strike and make the findings public. If the US military carried out the strike, it should conduct a full investigation into the operational and policy failures that led it to strike a school, fully account for the civilian harm caused, hold those responsible accountable including through prosecution, and commit to changes that would ensure such failures will not be repeated in future operations.
Analyses of the bombing by various news outlets have provided strong evidence that US forces were the most likely culprits of the attack. HRW was told by an Israeli military spokesperson that it was “not aware of any [Israeli military] strikes in the area.” Hegseth said during a Wednesday press conference that the Pentagon was investigating the matter, but offered no further indication of concern in the matter.
During that same press briefing, as HRW notes in its analysis of the attack, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, said that US forces from the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group were providing “pressure” in preceding days along the “southeastern side” of the Iranian coast as he pointed to an area of a map showing coalition bombings that included Minab.
“A prompt and thorough investigation is needed into this attack, including if those responsible should have known that a school was there and that it would be full of children and their teachers before midday,” said Sophia Jones, open source researcher with the Digital Investigations Lab at Human Rights Watch. “Those responsible for an unlawful attack should be held to account, including prosecutions of anyone responsible for war crimes.”
“Allies of the US and Israel should insist on accountability for the Shajareh Tayyebeh school attack and for an end to attacks on civilian infrastructure in all of their operations across the region, before more civilians, including children, are unlawfully killed,” she added.
Human Rights Watch is not the only one demanding an independent investigation.
“This mass killing of children is unconscionable. It bears the hallmarks of a war crime,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) on Friday after a New York Timesinvestigation found that US forces were likely behind the strike. “Trump and Hegseth must answer for the US’s role and they must be held accountable. People deserve the full truth. There must be an immediate and transparent investigation.”
On Friday, as Common Dreamsreported, another school in Iran was struck by US-Israel bombings, bringing the total number of schools hit to four in the first six days of the unprovoked military attack.
“The American people do not want their tax dollars spent on killing children in Iran, just as they did not want their tax dollars spent on killing children in Gaza,” said the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in a statement. “The latest U.S.-Israel attacks on schools in Iran are blatant war crimes. So was the original slaughter of 180 schoolgirls that the Pentagon refuses to take responsibility for.”
“Every child murdered or injured in these indiscriminate US-Israel bombing attacks is a sign that the Pentagon under Pete Hegseth is mimicking the tactics of the cowardly and genocidal Israeli military, which has mastered the art of bombing men, women, and children from afar,” the group added. “The American people expect better from our armed forces. President Trump should hold Secretary Hegseth and everyone else responsible for killing Iranian children accountable, and bring this illegal, unnecessary war of choice to an end.”
While the war continues and Trump on Saturday said the people of Iran should expect bombing and destruction to increase not decrease over the weekend, voices for peace continued to demand a swift end to the violence and said the US president should forever be held responsible for unleashing such unnecessary bloodshed—including the specific devastation unleashed on the school in Minab.
“Trump loves putting his name on things, but this should be the only building for which he is remembered by history,” said Dylan Williams, vice president for government affairs at the Center for International Policy, referencing the school where the massacre took place.
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Civil defense forces in Lebanon attempt to extinguish a blaze that erupted after Israeli bombardment on a solar farm and electricity generation facility in southern coastal city of Tyre on March 4, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP via Getty Images)
‘Who cares about Israel’s genocide, apartheid, and aggression?” asked one human rights expert.
The US State Department is hiding behind the war against Iran that was started by US President Donald Trump last week to justify an emergency order to ship more than 20,000 bombs—estimated at a value of $660 million—to Israel, skirting a pending approval process for the sale by Congress.
In a statement issued quietly on Friday night, the State Department said 12,000 BLU-110A/B general purpose, 1,000-pound bombs had been determined for approval, noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has “provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services is in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act.”
Not included in the statement, according to the New York Times, were additional parts of the sale that “include 10,000 bombs of 500 pounds each and 5,000 small-diameter bombs.”
“This is an emergency of the Trump administration’s own creation.” —Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.)
According to the Times:
The State Department did not mention these details in the announcement, but two current US officials and a former, Josh Paul, who worked on weapons transfers at the State Department, said they were part of the emergency sale. The current officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive arms transactions.
This is the first time that the second Trump administration has formally declared an emergency, allowed under the Arms Export Control Act, to bypass Congress to sell arms to Israel. The administration has bypassed the informal approval process in Congress three times to sell arms or send weapons aid to Israel, but previously has not declared an emergency.
The push for the “emergency” arms sale comes as Israel pummels Lebanon with airstrikes, forcing an estimate 500,000 people or more in southern regions outside of Beirut to flee their homes. It also coincides with Israeli forces hitting targets in Iran alongside the US in what experts say is a wholly illegal attack on that country.
Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, denounced the move by the Rubio in a Friday statement.
“Today’s invocation of the Arms Export Control Act’s emergency authority to bypass congressional review for two munitions cases to Israel exposes a stark contradiction at the heart of this administration’s case for war,” said Meeks. “The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted it was fully prepared for this war. Rushing to invoke emergency authority to circumvent Congress tells a different story. This is an emergency of the Trump administration’s own creation.”
Others also questioned the emergency sale, especially given Israel’s record of genocide in Gaza over the last two years and its pivotal role in pushing the Trump administration toward a war of choice with Iran.
Who cares about Israel’s genocide, apartheid and aggression? Trump’s State Department “is declaring an emergency with the war in Iran to bypass Congressional approval and sell more than 20,000 bombs to Israel that are valued at nearly $660 million.” https://t.co/tGenrQ6fzR
Meeks, in his statement, argued that key questions about Trump’s war in Iran remain unanswered.
“What is the endgame? What preparations have been made to protect American citizens in the region? And how much will this war cost the American people?” asked Meeks. “The administration has provided no credible answers. The American people deserve answers, and Congress must demand them.”
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Protesters wave flags and banners reading “Stop Bombing Iran” and “Stop Bombing the Middle East” as they gather at Victoria Tower Gardens before marching toward the United States Embassy to protest the war in the Middle East in London, United Kingdom, on March 07, 2026. [Stuart Brock – Anadolu Agency]
Thousands of anti-war demonstrators on Saturday marched through central London, calling for an immediate halt to US and Israeli military operations against Iran and an end to arms sales to Israel, Anadolu reports.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the protest drew between 5,000 and 6,000 participants, based on estimates from the Metropolitan Police.
The rally began at Millbank near Victoria Tower Gardens at noon and was organized by a coalition of activist groups, including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Stop the War Coalition and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Protesters marched toward the US Embassy carrying placards reading “Stop Trump’s Wars” and “No War on Iran,” while others waved Iranian and Palestinian flags.
Some demonstrators also carried portraits of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Organizers described the military strikes as “illegal” and warned that escalating conflict could place millions of civilians at risk across the Middle East.
Chris Nineham, vice-chair of the Stop the War Coalition, said the situation represented one of “the most dangerous global moments in decades.”
“(US President Donald) Trump and (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu are creating murder and mayhem across the Middle East. They are risking spreading war across the Middle East, and they are creating the conditions of volatility and instability around the world, and what is disgraceful is that our government is allowing British bases to be used to promote this mayhem,” Nineham said in a video posted on social media from the protest.
He added that many people in Britain opposed the war and called for a broad and vocal movement to mobilize against the conflict and advocate for peace.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,000 people, including Khamenei and over 150 schoolgirls, and senior military officials.
Iran has retaliated with sweeping barrages of its own that have targeted US bases, diplomatic facilities, and military personnel across the region, as well as multiple Israeli cities.
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Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.Donald Trump warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog, says that it’s easy atm, she only needs to report war crimes supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion.Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says “Wish someone would lock him up”.
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Israeli police take security measures as Israel will not allow Palestinians to perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan on March 06, 2026. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]
Israeli forces have intensified raids and arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank in recent days, as the region remains focused on the wider conflict involving Israel, the United States and Iran.
According to organisations specialising in prisoners’ affairs, more than 140 Palestinians have been arrested within a few days since the outbreak of the latest regional confrontation. The arrests followed raids targeting dozens of villages and refugee camps across both the northern and southern West Bank.
Data released by these organisations indicates that the number of Palestinians detained in the West Bank since the beginning of the year has exceeded 1,800, including university students and former prisoners.
The arrest campaigns have been particularly concentrated in the northern West Bank, according to local sources.
Residents reported near-daily incursions by Israeli forces into cities including Hebron, Nablus and Jenin, as well as surrounding towns and villages. Military vehicles typically enter these areas during the early hours of the morning before troops begin searching homes.
In many cases, the raids are accompanied by on-the-spot interrogations of young men, some of whom are detained for several hours before either being released or transferred to interrogation centres.
Several areas have also experienced road closures and the establishment of temporary military checkpoints, while some homes have reportedly been converted into temporary military positions during search operations.
Observers say the intensified operations appear to be part of a broader security policy aimed at maintaining control over the Palestinian arena and preventing a new confrontation while the region faces wider military tensions.
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Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.Donald Trump warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog, says that it’s easy atm, she only needs to report war crimes supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion.Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says “Wish someone would lock him up”.
