Khaberni - An analysis conducted by The New York Times, in collaboration with weapons and ammunition experts, revealed that the attack targeting the city of Lamerd in southern Iran on the first day of the war is likely to have seen the first combat use of an American ballistic missile known as the "Precision Strike Missile" (Prism).
According to the newspaper, the strikes targeted a gymnasium and an adjacent elementary school near an Iranian Revolutionary Guard military facility, killing at least 21 people and injuring dozens, according to the Iranian news agency (IRNA).
Videos verified by the newspaper showed the moment of the missile's fall, where it exploded in the air above the targets, releasing small spheres of tungsten metal, a pattern that matches the characteristics of the Prism missile designed to cause widespread damage to personnel and unarmored vehicles.
The post-attack photos also showed dense holes in the buildings and partial collapse of the gymnasium roof, in addition to damage inside the school which included broken windows, fire damage, and bloodstains.
Experts indicated that the absence of a large explosion crater at the strike site supports the hypothesis of an aerial explosion, which aligns with the design of this type of missile.
First Combat Use
According to the report, it was only one year after the missile completed its prototype tests—according to a press release issued by the U.S. Army—that it appeared in a video released by the U.S. Central Command on the first of March, documenting the moment it was launched during the first 24 hours of the war, before its commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, confirmed its actual use in combat.
An American official confirmed to the newspaper, on the condition of anonymity, that the weapon used in the Lamerd strike was indeed a "Prism" model, which experts considered the actual first appearance of the combat part of this system.
Despite American promotion of the "precision" of the missile in its first combat appearance, the facts on the ground in the city of Lamerd tell a completely different story, as the strike hit civilian facilities separate from the Revolutionary Guard compound, including a school and a gymnasium.
Satellite images and digital mapping platforms show that the school and gymnasium were completely separated from the military compound by a wall for years, as well as being classified as civilian facilities.
For his part, the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Eiravani, stated that the gymnasium was being used by a women's volleyball team at the moment of the bombing, while photos and videos posted showed that the school was being used normally by children.
Moreover, The New York Times investigations revealed a third possible attack site. The newspaper's team verified a video documenting an additional smoke plume in the vicinity of the simultaneous attacks, amid local reports circulating on the Telegram platform and Iranian media suggesting that a cultural center was hit, which is still under independent investigation.
Deliberate Strike?
As this is the first field use of the Prism missile, the newspaper could not verify whether the strike was deliberate, but the facts on the ground confirm that civilian facilities were targeted. Iranian reports also indicated that among the victims were children and volleyball players inside the gymnasium at the time of the strike, while photos and videos displayed a mass funeral held the day after the attack.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, Tim Hawkins, stated in a statement to The Times: "We are aware of these reports and are investigating them. U.S. forces do not indiscriminately target civilians, unlike the Iranian regime."
The Prism missile is part of the latest generation in the U.S. Army's arsenal, developed by Lockheed Martin to replace the "ATACMS" tactical missile system, with advanced capabilities including higher targeting accuracy over a range of about 400 miles (about 644 kilometers), in addition to being designed to conduct airburst strikes that scatter lethal metal fragments over a wide area, making it effective against personnel and unarmored vehicles.
This is not the first time that the U.S. military has used weapons under development in combat arenas, known as "combat assessment", raising questions about the risks associated with using untested systems in complex environments densely populated, increasing the likelihood of targeting errors or the scale of collateral damage.
The nature of the Prism missile's warhead, which explodes in the air and scatters tungsten spheres, increases the likelihood of striking non-military targets in the vicinity of the strike, which fuels the debate over the appropriateness of its use in areas close to civilian facilities.
