(MENAFN) A senior Democratic lawmaker on the House Armed Services Committee has sought answers from a top US military official regarding a reported strike in Iran that allegedly killed more than 150 girls at a school on February 28.

During a congressional hearing examining US military posture across the “Greater Middle East and Africa,” Representative Adam Smith pressed Admiral Brad Cooper on the incident, urging acknowledgment of responsibility for the strike, which Iranian officials say resulted in 175 deaths, including more than 150 schoolgirls.

Smith argued that the circumstances appeared evident, noting that in past cases the US military has sometimes acknowledged operational errors even while formal investigations were still underway. He directly questioned Cooper, asking: “Can you, at this moment, acknowledge that that mistake was made, and that we were responsible for it? It’s something we didn’t want to do, and don’t want to repeat?”

Cooper, however, did not accept responsibility for the incident. He responded only by stating:
“The United States does not deliberately target civilians.”

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