Amnesty International urges protection of civilians as Middle East conflict escalates

Amnesty International on Tuesday urged all parties involved in the rapidly expanding conflict in the Middle East to protect civilians and comply with international humanitarian law, warning that escalating military operations across the region risk triggering a wider humanitarian crisis.

The appeal comes amid continuing joint strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran and retaliatory Iranian attacks across several countries in the region. The fighting has expanded to more than 10 countries and has already caused civilian casualties and significant damage to civilian infrastructure.

Israel has intensified its attacks on Lebanon in the past 24 hours following rocket fire by Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the United States has warned that “the harshest strikes are yet to come.” Iranian authorities have also threatened further operations across the region following the reported killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

“We must not allow civilians to pay the price for the unlawful and reckless actions of the parties to this conflict,” said Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International. “The risks have reached a peak, and across the region civilians continue to bear the brunt of successive cycles of conflict and mass violations.”

Callamard said all parties must immediately halt unlawful attacks, including deliberate, indiscriminate or disproportionate strikes against civilians or civilian infrastructure. She also urged combatants to avoid the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas and to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians.

Attacks in Iran and Iranian retaliation

According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, 787 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the attacks.

Iranian authorities reported that at least 165 people were killed in a strike on a school in the southern town of Minab in Hormozgan Province on Feb. 28. About 150 of those killed were female students, officials said.

The United Nations described the attack as a “serious violation of humanitarian law,” while UNESCO warned that attacks on educational institutions endanger students and teachers and undermine legal protections for schools during armed conflict. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called for a swift and independent investigation.

Amnesty International said it verified six videos filmed after the strike showing rescue workers searching through rubble and black smoke rising from the partially collapsed building.

Iran’s medical authorities also reported that 10 medical facilities were damaged in the strikes.

At the same time, Iranian authorities again restricted internet access on Feb. 28, limiting the flow of information about the fighting and preventing many people from contacting relatives or reporting potential human rights violations.

Human rights defenders have also expressed concern about the safety of detainees across Iran, including thousands of protesters arrested during the January 2026 uprising. The concerns follow reports of explosions near detention facilities and a previous Israeli strike on Evin Prison in Tehran.

Amnesty called on Iranian authorities to release all individuals arbitrarily detained and to ensure the safety of other prisoners, including through temporary humanitarian releases.

Iranian strikes across the region

Iran has responded to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and several Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi said an Iranian drone targeting Zayed International Airport was intercepted, but falling debris killed one person and injured seven others.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar said their oil facilities were also targeted in attacks on March 2. The Gulf Cooperation Councilcondemned what it described as “reckless and indiscriminate missile and drone attacks.”

In Israel, at least 10 people were killed and dozens injured in Iranian strikes, according to local media and rescue services. Nine people were killed and more than 20 injured in the city of Beit Shemesh when a ballistic missile struck the area. A woman was also killed by falling debris in the Tel Aviv area, where at least 40 buildings were damaged.

Escalation in Lebanon

Following rocket attacks by Hezbollah on northern Israel — which the group said were retaliation for Khamenei’s killing — the Israeli military intensified airstrikes across Lebanon, including in suburbs of Beirut.

Lebanese authorities said Israeli strikes had killed at least 40 people and wounded 246 as of March 3.

Israel also issued broad evacuation warnings covering more than 50 villages in southern and eastern Lebanon late on March 2, triggering panic and causing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee.

Before the latest escalation, Israel had carried out near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon since a ceasefire agreement took effect in November 2024, killing more than 380 people, including 127 civilians, according to Lebanese authorities.

Call for restraint and accountability

Amnesty International said the widening conflict poses a serious threat to regional stability and international law.

The organization urged all parties to ensure protection for civilians and civilian infrastructure, including airports, hospitals, residential buildings, schools and prisons, and to allow safe and unhindered access for humanitarian aid.

The group also called on the international community to intensify diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation.

“The unlawful actions of parties to the conflict, particularly powerful states, risk accelerating the erosion of global norms designed to protect human rights and international peace and security,” Callamard said. “States must exercise maximum restraint and avoid any conduct that could fuel further violations.”