165 Killed, 96 Injured in Strike from Israel-US on Children’s Elementary School in Iran
The death toll from a missile strike on a children’s school in southern Iran has risen to 165, according to state media.
The IRNA news agency, citing a local prosecutor, reported that 96 people were wounded in Saturday’s strike in the city of Minab.
If confirmed, the attack would mark the deadliest single incident of the ongoing US-Israeli-led bombing campaign against Iran.
Videos and photographs from the aftermath — verified as authentic and geolocated to the site — show hundreds of people gathered around a partially collapsed and smoking school building. Rubble is strewn across the surrounding streets as men dig through debris searching for victims. Screams can be heard in the background of several recordings. In some images, schoolbags and textbooks are visible among the wreckage.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for US Central Command, said the US was “aware of reports concerning civilian harm resulting from ongoing military operations. We take these reports seriously and are looking into them.”
The school building appears to be located adjacent to a barracks belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Hossein Kermanpour, spokesperson for Iran’s health ministry, described the bombing as “the most bitter news” of the conflict so far in a post on X. “God knows how many more children’s bodies they will pull from under the rubble,” he wrote.
Due to restrictions on international reporting inside Iran, independent media organizations — including the Guardian — have not been able to access the site in Minab or independently verify the reported casualty figures.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and girls’ education advocate Malala Yousafzai said in a statement: “They were girls who went to school to learn, with hopes and dreams for their future. Today, their lives were brutally cut short.
“Justice and accountability must follow. All states and parties must uphold their obligations under international law to protect civilians and safeguard schools.”
