(ECNS) -- The joint military strikes launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in recent days have triggered a sharp escalation across the Middle East and resulted in a tragic humanitarian disaster.

A deadly strike hit an elementary school in southern Iran, causing at least 165 deaths by now, with most of the victims being girls. Separately, at least 20 women volleyball players were killed after the U.S. launched an airstrike targeting a gym in Lamerd, in Fars province in southern Iran.

A heartbreaking photo posted on X by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shows orderly rows of freshly dug graves stretching across an open plot of land, serving as the final resting place for these schoolgirls, whose lives were just extinguished before they could fully bloom. “These are graves being dug for more than 160 innocent young girls who were killed in the US-Israeli bombing of a primary school. Their bodies were torn to shreds,” Araghchi wrote.

However, the evasive behavior of those responsible further exposes their complete moral bankruptcy. In the face of irrefutable evidence, the initial reaction of the U.S. and Israeli governments was not remorse, but shameful denial and prevarication. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Washington is “investigating” the airstrike on the school, adding that the U.S. military “never targets civilian sites.”

What has also sparked controversy is Israel's reaction, as its military claimed it was "unaware" that it had struck the school. Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani told CBS News: "At this point we are not aware of an Israeli or an American strike there. ... We're operating in an extremely accurate manner." This "selective blindness" is a familiar tactic employed by Israel because it only reluctantly admits it was an "accident" when irrefutable evidence is placed before it, like what has happened in Gaza Strip.

The U.S. and Israel, through acts of war that disregard life and trample on human rights, deserve universal condemnation and firm opposition from the international community. The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)released a statement over the attack on the Iranian school, condemning that " targeting civilians and civilian objects, including schools, is a violation of international law."

Ordinarily, places like hospitals, schools, synagogues and mosques are deemed to have protected status under the laws of war. That means it is a violation of the laws of war – a war crime – to deliberately target them, USA Today reported on Tuesday, citing retired Air Force colonel Morris Davis, a former U.S. military prosecutor.

The New York Times also criticized the attack. “This was a decision made by one man with no legal basis, little public support and no coherent explanation of an endgame,” it commented.

“Mr. Trump’s authoritarianism is not abstract. There is nothing stopping him from wielding the awesome power of the United States to serve his own interests, not the public’s. War should never be normal. We don’t know where this one will lead, but we do know that it has already killed untold civilians — including dozens of girls who did nothing but go to school. The desensitization of Americans to this kind of violence is part of what is broken in our society,” it said.

The Middle East, long afflicted by the flames of war, often traces its suffering back to the interventions of hegemonic powers. This latest joint military action by the U.S. and Israel constitutes not only a grave violation of Iran's sovereignty and security but also brings more uncertainties to the region.

Pursuing frequent wars in the region for selfish geopolitical interests will only sow more seeds of hatred in the hearts of the people there and trap the region in a vicious cycle of violence. Such actions are fundamentally detrimental to any form of regional security and stability. Therefore, all parties concerned must cease military operations, fulfill their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and effectively ensure the safety of civilians.