A new investigation has raised serious questions about the US‑Israeli strikes on Iran carried out on 28 February, revealing that US‑made Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs) were likely used in an attack on Lamerd, a city in southern Iran. According to Iranian officials, the strike killed at least 21 civilians, including seven children, making it one of the deadliest incidents of the conflict’s opening hours.
Conflict‑monitoring group Airwars, whose findings were reviewed and independently verified by the Associated Press (AP), concluded that three PrSMs were used in the Lamerd attack. Their analysis showed civilians were killed up to 50 metres from the missile impact points, with damage in one instance extending 170 metres, indicating a wide fragmentation pattern.
The PrSM is designed to detonate mid‑air, releasing tens of thousands of tungsten pellets at high velocity in multiple directions. Weapons experts told AP that the damage pattern seen in Lamerd — pockmarked buildings, shredded vehicles and debris‑scarred roads — was consistent with PrSM effects.
The US military has confirmed using PrSMs in strikes against Iran but denied launching them at Lamerd. However, six weapons experts, including former US military officials, told AP they believed PrSMs were used in the Lamerd attack and questioned the appropriateness of deploying such weapons near civilian areas. One expert, former US Army adviser Michael Meier, said using a PrSM in a densely populated zone would be “difficult to justify.”