Over 40,000 civilian buildings in Iran reportedly damaged in ongoing war

Humanitarian group Iranian Red Crescent Society has reported that 42,914 civilian buildings in Iran have been damaged by US-Israeli airstrikes, including more than 36,000 homes.

Announced on X last week, the Iranian Red Crescent Society – a non-governmental group affiliated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) – calculated that US-Israeli airstrikes have caused damage to 42,914 civilian buildings in Iran.

This includes 36,489 residential units and 6,179 commercial units.

A number of cultural heritage sites have been damaged in Iran by US-Israeli airstrikes since the recent war broke out. Last week, the Iranian government announced on X that "at least 56 museums, historical monuments, and cultural sites have sustained serious damage".

Among them is the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran, which is thought to have been damaged by shock waves and debris from a nearby missile strike.

Historic buildings in Isfahan have sustained damage, including the Chehel Sotoon Palace, the Ali Qapu Palace and the Jameh Mosque. In Khorramabad, buildings situated near the buffer zone of the prehistoric Khorramabad Valley have been damaged, as well as the Falak-ol-Aflak Castle.

Iranian strikes have also caused damage to notable buildings across the Middle East. In Dubai, debris from an intercepted Iranian drone caused a fire at the Burj Al Arab skyscraper, and an intercepted missile caused a fire on the man-made Palm Jumeirah island.

Strikes in the Middle East have also reportedly caused damage to the White City of Tel-Aviv in Israel and Tyre in Lebanon, which are UNESCO-listed sites.

"UNESCO has communicated and will continue to communicate to all parties concerned the geographical coordinates of sites on the World Heritage List, the national Tentative Lists, as well as those under Enhanced Protection, to take all feasible precautions to avoid damage," said UNESCO.

The current wave of strikes and counterstrikes began on February 28, when the USA and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, killing Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israeli and US-allied countries and bases across the Middle East, and the war in the region is ongoing.

The photo is by the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

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