In the gray and devastated grounds of Farabi Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Kermanshah, the marks of explosions still remain on the walls. The smell of burned medications, broken equipment, and the vague, constant sound of silence envelop the atmosphere of this medical center. Three days after the war between Iran and Israel began, on June 15 (26 Khordad), this hospital, along with Imam Reza Hospital in the same city, was targeted by airstrikes. Officials say that during these attacks, dozens were killed and hundreds wounded, and the hospital’s mega ICU unit was completely destroyed. But why did a neuropsychiatric hospital in western Iran become a military target? This report seeks to answer that question by traveling to the affected areas, speaking with medical staff, and analyzing the legal dimensions of the incident.

“We were administering medication to patients when the explosion happened”

Leila, a nurse in the neuropsychiatric ward, takes us to a semi-destroyed room. The beds are still in place. She says: “No one ever imagined the hospital would be targeted. This place was full of patients—some couldn’t even stand.” According to her: “After the missile struck, the power went out, the ventilators stopped working, and there was no escape route for the patients. The medical staff did everything they could to get the patients out of the ward.” According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, over 700 civilians—including patients, healthcare workers, and companions—lost their lives in the attack. No independent figures have yet been released by international bodies.

Imam Reza Hospital also suffered serious damage

That same day, a few kilometers away, Imam Reza Hospital was also struck. This facility is one of the main teaching and treatment hospitals in Kermanshah Province. Internal medicine, emergency, and obstetrics and gynecology wards were either damaged or destroyed. A physician from Farabi Hospital, who asked to remain anonymous, described the bombing disaster this way: “All I heard were screams. I thought the bomb had hit the market, but when I ran outside, I saw the ceiling had completely collapsed.”

Israel’s narrative and Iran’s response

Israel has yet to officially comment on the targeting of these hospitals. However, media outlets in the country have spoken of operations aimed at weakening Iran’s logistical capacity in the west of the country. On the other hand, Iran has been accused of launching a missile attack near the Sukura Hospital in southern Israel. Published images show significant damage to part of the building. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the main target was “a military base near the hospital.” However, human rights observers have rejected these justifications, insisting that there is no excuse for attacks on medical facilities.

What does international law say?

According to Article 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, civilian medical facilities—including hospitals, clinics, and emergency centers—must be respected and protected under all circumstances. However, Article 19 of the same convention outlines specific conditions under which this protection may be lost. Under this article, medical facilities can only lose their protection if: they are effectively participating in military operations; a prior warning with reasonable time has been given to halt such activity; and no action has been taken to end the military use. Even in such cases, the principles of necessity and proportionality must be observed, and any attack must be carried out with utmost caution to avoid harm to civilians and patients.

Furthermore, UN Security Council Resolution 2286 explicitly prohibits any attack on medical facilities, healthcare personnel, and emergency vehicles during armed conflicts, and obliges states to fully comply with their commitments under international humanitarian law. The resolution also emphasizes the necessity of conducting independent investigations and holding violators accountable.

Voices from the people: Even hospitals are not safe

Near Farabi Hospital, a woman sits with her sick child and says: “After that day, nowhere feels safe anymore. When even a hospital gets bombed, where can we take refuge?” Our field report shows that after these attacks, access to medical services in cities like Kermanshah, Sanandaj, and Ilam has significantly decreased. Patients needing dialysis now have to travel hundreds of kilometers for treatment.

Mobile medical centers: A temporary solution or evasion of responsibility?

In the weeks following the war, mobile medical centers were deployed around the affected areas. However, doctors say these facilities are insufficient and serve more to “calm the crisis” than to provide real treatment. Dr. Hossein Karami, a general practitioner at one of these clinics, says: “We have neither the equipment nor enough personnel. Technically, all we’re doing is managing pain, not treating illnesses.”

Legal responsibility: Is prosecution possible?

So far, the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization have called for independent investigations into the matter. But political and security restrictions have prevented international delegations from entering the crisis zones. Under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the intentional targeting of medical and educational facilities during armed conflict—if those facilities have not lost their protected status and are not being used for military purposes—constitutes a war crime. However, the fact that countries like Iran and Israel are not members of the ICC presents a serious obstacle to direct proceedings in The Hague. Some international law experts have proposed invoking the principle of universal jurisdiction, which would allow countries like Germany, Sweden, or Spain to launch independent criminal investigations in their domestic courts and prosecute potential perpetrators.

Invisible victims

In wars often accompanied by global media coverage, what frequently goes unnoticed is the daily suffering of people who are neither politicians nor soldiers. The twelve-day war between Iran and Israel may have ended, but its destruction lingers in the hospitals, the scorched operating rooms, and the hearts of mothers who lost their children among the hospital beds. Leila, the same nurse from Farabi, concludes our conversation by saying: “There were patients here. We were just nurses. Why us?”