LA Sheriff's office condoles Iran deaths in viral post, apologises later

Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran - read a tweet by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Sunday after the US dropped bunker bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites, raising eyebrows. It was a mistake, which was rectified moments later, but still went viral on social media.

The post was quickly edited, with mentions of impacts in Iran, omitted. However, for greater damage control, the sheriff's department issued a statement later, apologising for the "offensive and inappropriate" post.

"This post was unacceptable, made in error, and does not reflect the views of Sheriff Robert G. Luna or the Department. As a law enforcement agency, we do not comment on foreign policy or military matters. Our mission remains solely focused on protecting public safety and serving our diverse communities," the clarification read.

The original version of the post, which came hours after President Donald Trump announced the bombing of Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites as part of the 'Operation Midnight Hammer', read, "Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran. While this tragic event occurred overseas, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is closely monitoring the situation alongside our local, state, and federal partners.

Then, the first was removed, and it started as "the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is closely monitoring the situation alongside our local, state, and federal partners".

In its clarification statement, the Sheriff's Department said that it is "taking quick coercive action" and committed to learning from the failure to ensure the mistake is not repeated.

"We have updated our social media post and have launched an internal review to determine how it was created and published," the statement added.

The US's airstrikes on Iran caused a major escalation in the Middle East crisis. Trump commended the stealth bombers for their "bullseye strikes" that he, on Monday, reiterated resulted in monumental damage to the Iranian nuke sites. Iran's Supreme Leader, meanwhile, has vowed revenge.