Iranian State Media Reports 40 Schoolgirls Killed in Strike on School in Southern Iran
At least 40 girls were killed when a missile hit their school in southern Iran. Simultaneous strikes in Tehran targeted the Supreme Leader's compound and killed several senior IRGC commanders.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The widening war between Iran and the United States and Israel exacted a horrific civilian toll on Saturday, as a missile strike decimated a girls’ primary school in southern Iran, killing 40 students, while simultaneous operations targeted the heart of the Iranian regime in Tehran.
Iranian media confirmed that the strike hit a primary school in the city of Minab, located in the southern province of Hormozgan. The attack, which occurred within the framework of the conflict declared by the United States and Israel, resulted in the deaths of 40 female students.
According to the Tasnim News Agency, initial reports indicated 24 casualties, but the toll rose as rescue operations continued. The Deputy Governor of Hormozgan confirmed the attack on the girls' school, stating that approximately 170 students were inside the building at the time of the bombardment.
Video footage circulating online depicted massive destruction at the educational facility. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei addressed the incident, describing it as a bloody attack on innocent civilians.
Simultaneous with the tragedy in the south, the conflict struck the highest echelons of power in the capital. Israel’s Channel 12 released satellite imagery on Saturday purported to show damage to a compound belonging to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei following reported US-Israeli airstrikes.
An Israeli official stated that the joint air operations specifically targeted locations where Supreme Leader Khamenei and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were present, though the official noted that the definitive results of these decapitation strikes "were not yet clear."
Reuters, citing informed sources, reported that the bombardment resulted in the deaths of several senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and prominent political officials. Local media had previously indicated that a facility belonging to the Iranian Presidency was also hit during the first wave of attacks.
The UAE Ministry of Defense reported a "flagrant attack" by Iranian ballistic missiles. While air defenses intercepted several projectiles, debris fell on a residential area in Abu Dhabi, killing one person of Asian nationality and causing material damage. Military sources confirmed that the Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE was among the targets.
In Bahrain, the state news agency reported a missile attack on the US Fifth Fleet center in Manama. Attacks also targeted the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
Saudi Arabia led a wave of diplomatic condemnation. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed "full solidarity" with its neighbors, denouncing the "brutal Iranian aggression" and the violation of sovereignty in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan.
In Amman, the Jordanian Armed Forces announced the interception of two ballistic missiles targeting the Kingdom. Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse reported explosions in Jerusalem as sirens wailed across the city following an Iranian barrage.
Adding to the volatility, Houthi officials in Yemen told the Associated Press that the group would resume attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea, signaling that the conflict has now fully engaged proxies and critical infrastructure across the entire Middle East.