A US strike meant for an Iranian target instead hit an elementary school, and it looks like commanders knew the intel was stale before they dropped the bombs — very bad news for civilians and for America's standing abroad.

• A US "double-tap" strike hit an elementary school, killing 168 children and 14 teachers, one of the worst civilian death tolls in recent US military history.
• The targeting data was flagged as years out of date and needed re-checking, but senior commanders pushed ahead anyway to save time at the start of the war.
• Two targeting systems were in use — an old 1980s one that relies on people entering data by hand, and a newer AI-powered one that is years behind schedule.
• The rush to hit targets fast, not a system glitch, is what caused the disaster.

Outlook: Expect heavy backlash abroad and hard questions at home over how the strike was approved, with pressure building around the Pentagon's shift to AI targeting.