In a statement, prominent string theorists condemn the attacks on universities across the Middle Eastern countries.

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A group of prominent Indian physicists specialising in string theory has expressed solidarity with academics in Iran, Palestine and Lebanon, condemning attacks on universities and civilian institutions during conflicts involving Israel and the United States.

In a statement, more than 50 string theorists — physicists working at the cutting edge of humankind’s understanding of nature — said they wished to “express our heartfelt solidarity” with scholars and civilians in the three countries amid what it described as “the recent war initiated by the United States and Israel”.

Ashoke Sen and Spenta Wadia, both award-winning, globally renowned theoretical physicists, were among the statement’s signatories, which spanned India’s top science and technology universities and research labs.

“Universities and educational institutes in Iran, as well as Lebanon and Palestine, have been attacked during the war,” the group said, listing sites including the Sharif University of Technology, Shahid Beheshti University, Iran University of Science and Technology, Isfahan University of Technology and the Lebanese University.

The Indian scientists added that the attacks formed “part of a broader assault on civilian sites that has led to the loss of thousands of lives and displaced millions of people”.

The group also referred to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, saying “almost all universities and schools there have been destroyed.

“We unequivocally condemn these crimes against humanity, which will cause long-term harm to the future of education and research in these regions apart from the tragic loss of lives,” they said.

The intervention came as ceasefires remain fragile across the region, with continued violence reported in Lebanon and Gaza, and heightened tensions involving Iran.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli attacks killed five people on Wednesday, including a journalist, despite an existing ceasefire. In Gaza, an Israeli air strike killed at least five Palestinians on Thursday, including three children.

Meanwhile, in Iran, senior officials have accused Washington of stalling peace negotiations through a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

India is a global leader in string theory, a mathematical framework in which the fundamental constituents of reality are one-dimensional extended objects called strings, rather than zero-dimensional point particles.