A high-profile and terrifying part of the recent upheaval in the Middle East, the Iranian state media reports that at least 40 students were killed on today, at a missile attack targeting an elementary girls' school in Minab, a southern city. The strike, which was carried out in Hormozgan province, was confirmed by the state-run IRNA news agency.
A missile struck the school building in the course of the joint U.S.-Israeli military offensive, local officials said, leaving a minimum of 45 others injured, many in critical circumstances.
The Attack on Minab
Minab, strategically situated next to the Strait of Hormoz, has a base for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). While the IDF and Pentagon both maintained that any “Operation Lion’s Roar” and “Operation Epic Fury” they might be targeting is military/nuclear-only, the devastation of an educational institution has triggered an on-going international outcry. “During the session this morning a missile struck the school building directly. The scenes are beyond compare,” a provincial official told IRIB broadcaster.
“Major Combat Operations” and Civilian Risks
The strike occurred within hours of President Donald Trump’s announcement of “major combat operations” against the Iranian regime. In his speech, Trump had urged Iranian civilians to “seek shelter” and “rise up” against their government, but the date of the strikes the opening day of the Iranian work week meant schools and offices were running at full capacity.
The U.S. and Israel have not yet made a response to the reports of the school strike. In these types of high-intensity air campaigns, military spokespersons have historically cited “collateral damage,” or the closeness of high-value military targets to civilian territory, as reasons for such tragedies.
Regional and Global Reaction
The 40 dead children news has compounded another layer of humanitarian crisis for an already volatile military situation:
- Iran: The Foreign Ministry described the strike as a "clear crime and a violation of international law," promising that the "armed forces will teach a big lesson" to the culprits.
- Russia: Moscow denounced the strikes as a “dangerous adventure” that has brought the region to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.
- United Nations: Human rights advocates urged an immediate halt to hostilities to prevent further civilian casualties.
Retaliation Escalates
Following the strike on Minab and Tehran, the IRGC initiated what it described as a “first wave” of retaliatory drones and missiles at Israel and American military bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. And as the sun goes down on Saturday, the Middle East is still engulfed in a war that has quickly escalated from surgical strikes to a high-casualty regional conflict.
