US Hit Iran With New Missile. It Killed Civilians 50 Metres From Blast Site

Lockheed Martin's Precision Strike Missile has the US military going crazy about it, with billions being poured into the weapon, given how lethal, long-range, and accurate it is. A recent study has, however, highlighted the perils associated with the missile.

Used for the first time in combat on February 28, when the US struck Iran, the weapon seemed to spray pellets over a wide area, according to a report by the Associated Press quoting monitoring non-profit Airwars and defence experts.

According to a review by Airwars, three missiles struck the Iranian city of Lamerd on February 28. It killed civilians as far as 50 metres from where they were detonated, and caused damage to areas more than three times farther away.

At least 21 civilians, including seven children, were killed in the three blasts, Iran had said earlier.

The missiles detonated above a sports complex and two residential neighborhoods, as per Airwars. Photos, videos and satellite images of the strikes at Lamerd show buildings, streets and vehicles being heavily pokemarked in a "blast pattern", which, according to experts quoted by AP, was consistent with the PrSM's capabilities.

Six weapons experts quoted by AP, two of whom are former defence officials, said it was likely that the US struck Lamerd with the PrSM.

"You would be hard-pressed to find a reason to use the PrSM in a densely populated area," said Michael Meier, a former US Army advisor on the laws of war.

Lockheed Martin has not commented regarding the use of the lethal missile on Lamerd, or what its potential impact could be.

However, in a post on March 1, a day after the Lamerd attacks, the US Central Command released an image that experts say was of the PrSM being fired during the Iran operation. Three days later, it said that the missile was used in a "historic first" on Iran, but did not specify where.

Weapons experts said a missile seen in security camera video from Lamerd does not match that Iranian model, which has a rounded engine.

The Israeli military, according to AP, said it did not strike anywhere in Iran as far south as Lamerd on the first day of the war.

When asked about the use of the weapon, the US Central Command denied responsibility and told AP that its findings were based on an earlier version of what happened in Lamerd.

But Airwars found footage of a school in Lamerd that was damaged by the missile detonated over the Shahid Naimi Sports Hall about 170 metres away, killing seven civilians including children.

A separate blast over the Tal-e Khandagh neighborhood killed 2-year-old Avina Barzegar, who was playing in front of her home. According to Airwars, the pellet that killed the child travelled 50 metres from the blast site.

Since the Lamerd strikes, the Pentagon signed a contract worth over $4 billion with Lockheed Martin to quadruple PrSM production.