International Red Cross Condemns Threats Against Civilian Targets in Middle East War

ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger. (Wikimedia Commons/© Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union/Vlad Vanderkelen)

JAKARTA - The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday condemned "deliberate threats" against civilian targets that have marked the widening of the war in the Middle East.

Without naming any parties, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said there had been widespread destruction of "vital" infrastructure and that "any war waged without limits is not in accordance with the law" and "cannot be justified."

Spoljaric spoke as the conflict headed towards a new crisis point with US President Donald Trump threatening an attack on Iranian bridges and power plants unless Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.

The head of the ICRC, whose agency is considered the main guardian of the Geneva Conventions, has warned of the course of the war since it began on February 28 along with the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

In response to the attack, Iran has launched retaliatory attacks against Gulf countries and Israel.

"Intentional threats, both in rhetoric and in actions, against critical civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities should not become the new norm in warfare," Spoljaric said in a statement, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (6/4).

"Any war that is carried out without limits is not in accordance with the law. It is not justifiable, inhumane, and destroys the entire population," he said.

"Countries must respect and ensure respect for the rules of war both in what they say and what they do. The world cannot surrender to a political culture that prioritizes death over life," Spoljaric said.

The ICRC president said that throughout the Middle East, ICRC teams "saw the destruction of infrastructure that is essential for civilian life. Power plants, water systems, hospitals, roads, bridges, houses, schools, and universities have been targeted.

"The most worrying thing is the potential threat to nuclear facilities. Any miscalculation can lead to irreversible consequences for future generations," the ICRC president emphasized.

"I urge all parties to protect civilians and civilian objects in all military operations. It is their obligation under international humanitarian law," he concluded.