The death toll from a US and Israeli missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to 165, according to Iranian authorities.
It appears to be the worst mass casualty event of the US-Israeli-led bombing campaign in Iran so far, with the girls’ school located in Minab, near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has previously been a target. International media have not been able to independently verify the death toll, as restrictions in Iran mean limit the ability to gather information.
The Iranian local news agency IRNA has reported 96 other people injured from the strike on the Sharajeh Tayyebey girls’ elementary school.
Footage has emerged of a partially collapsed building, with debris strewn everywhere, including schoolbags and textbooks. It’s been reported that the school was hit when occupied.
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian called the strike a “barbaric act” and “another black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors”.
The spokesperson for US Central Command, Captain Tim Hawkins said about the incident: “We take these reports seriously.”
“The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimise the risk of unintended harm.”
Advocate for girls education and Nobel peace prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was “heartbroken and appalled” by news of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, including on the girls school.
“They were girls who went to school to learn, with hopes and dreams for their future. Today, their lives were brutally cut short,” Yousafzai said in a statement.
“My heart is with the children, families and communities affected by escalation across the region. I stand firmly against violence and the targeting of schools and civilians. I call for the escalation of violence across the region to end. Justice and accountability must follow. All states and parties must uphold their obligations under international law to protect civilians and safeguard schools.”
Iran’s supreme leader killed
Over the weekend, the US and Israel launched a massive offensive, which has triggered an outbreak of regional violence. A number of Iranian cities have been hit by air strikes, with Iran state media confirming the killing of the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in one of them.
Satellite imagery has shown Khamenei’s secure compound was heavily damaged in the initial attack on Saturday.
US president Donald Trump announced the death of the ayatollah, who has ruled Iran as supreme leader since 1989, on a Truth Social post, saying: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead.”
“He was unable to avoid our intelligence and highly sophisticated tracking systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do,” Trump wrote.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given a video statement confirming involvement and saying there were “many signs” that Khamenei was dead.
“This morning we destroyed the compound of the tyrant Khamenei,” Netanyahu said. “There are many signs that this tyrant is no longer. This morning we eliminated senior officials in the ayatollahs’ regime, Revolutionary Guards commanders, senior figures in the nuclear programme – and we will continue. In the next few days, we will hit thousands more targets of the terror regime.”
Khamenei was killed without an officially declared heir to the Iranian regime, sparking moves to find the supreme leader’s successor. A three-person council was formed on Sunday to hold power until Khamenei’s successor is chosen, amid ongoing strikes from the US and Israel.