Death Toll from US-Israeli Attack on Iranian Girls' School Reaches 165
Teheran – The death toll from a missile attack on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to 165, according to government media sources. The IRNA news agency cited local prosecutors stating that 96 people were injured in the Saturday attack in Minab.
The attack on Shadjareh Tayebeh girls’ school on Saturday appears to be the deadliest mass casualty incident in the ongoing US-Israel bombing campaign in Iran to date.
The Guardian reported that verified videos and photographs with geolocation data from the scene show hundreds of people gathered around the partially collapsed and smoking building, with debris scattered across streets and men digging through the rubble in search of victims. Screams could be heard in the background.
In several images, school bags and textbooks were being pulled from the debris. Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command, stated that the United States “is aware of reports regarding civilian casualties from the ongoing military operations. We take these reports seriously and are investigating them.”
The school building appeared to be located near a barracks belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Hossein Kermanpour, spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Health, said in a post on X that the bombing of the school was “the bitterest news” from the conflict so far.
“Only God knows how many more children’s bodies will be pulled from beneath the rubble.”
Nobel Peace Prize winner and girls’ education advocate Malala Yousafzai stated: “They are schoolgirls studying to learn, with hopes and dreams for their futures. Their lives have been brutally cut short.
“Justice and accountability must be upheld. All nations and parties must uphold their obligations under international law to protect civilians and schools.”
UNESCO, the United Nations’ education agency, stated that the bombing of a primary school during the Saturday military strikes by the United States and Israel in Iran constitutes a serious violation of humanitarian law.
In a statement released on social media, UNESCO expressed deep concern over the impact of the military strikes, which continued through Sunday, noting that students in places dedicated to learning are protected under international humanitarian law, and that “attacks on educational institutions endanger students and teachers and undermine the right to education.”