An Israeli strike hit an elementary girls’ school in Minab in Hormozgan province of southern Iran, killing at least 85 people, according to Iran’s state media, as the civilian toll from the ongoing US-Israeli bombardment of Iran mounts.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned what he described as a "barbaric" attack on a school in the country's south.
"This barbaric act is another black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors," said Pezeshkian in a statement on the attack.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi alleged that the strike “murdered dozens” and vowed that the attack would be answered. In a post on X, he wrote that the destroyed building was a primary school for girls, bombed in broad daylight while “packed with young pupils,” adding: “Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone. These crimes against the Iranian People will not go unanswered.”
The Israel Defense Forces had earlier said on X that it, along with US armed forces, had launched “a broad & joint operation” to degrade what it called the Iranian regime and remove “existential threats to Israel.” It said Iran continued to finance, train and arm proxy groups along Israel’s borders.
Iran responded as it had been threatening to do for months — first launching a wave of missiles and drones targeting Israel. It followed with strikes targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The United Arab Emirates and Iraq shut down their airspace.
Workers were still clearing wreckage from the Minab school site, as reported by the iranian state-run News Agency. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the attack as a “blatant crime” and urged action from the United Nations Security Council.
Iran’s Mehr news agency said at least two students were killed in another Israeli strike on a school east of Tehran.
There was no immediate response from the US or Israel to Iran’s claims regarding the school strikes. Several countries have called for restraint and adherence to international law amid fears of wider escalation.