What are ‘civilian’ sites in international law and where have US, Iran hit?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that the United States and Iran have entered a sharper cycle of attacks linked to control and military leverage around the Strait of Hormuz. The report, published July 20 and updated July 21, says Washington has expanded strikes from southern Iran to other areas, while Tehran has attacked sites in nearby Gulf states and Jordan where US forces are present. Iranian authorities told the outlet that at least 50 people have been killed and 500 wounded in Iran since July 15; Al Jazeera also reported at least three US soldiers were killed in Iranian attacks.

The article focuses on whether recent strikes on infrastructure may breach international humanitarian law. It cites the Geneva Conventions and 1977 Additional Protocols, under which civilian objects are protected unless they are being used for military purposes and their destruction offers a definite military advantage. Legal experts quoted by Al Jazeera said infrastructure is presumed civilian unless proven otherwise, and any attack must still meet proportionality requirements.

According to Iranian media and officials cited by Al Jazeera, US strikes have hit roads, bridges, rail facilities, health, water and food-related sites, especially in Hormozgan and other southern or western areas. Reported examples include the Kahurestan Bridge near Bandar Abbas, multiple bridges in Bandar Khamir county, a railway bridge in Golestan province, Shahid Baghaei Hospital in Ahvaz, desalination facilities, a bottled water facility and wheat storage sites.

Washington told Al Jazeera it has targeted only military sites, including logistics infrastructure. The report says some targets may be treated by US military lawyers as “dual use,” a legally sensitive category because civilian harm can still make an attack unlawful if it is excessive compared with the expected military gain.