An Israeli airstrike has struck an elementary girls’ school in the southern Iranian city of Minab, in Hormozgan province, killing at least 53 people, most of them young students, according to Iranian state media and officials.
State-run IRNA news agency reported that the “Shajareh Tayyebeh” girls’ primary school was hit during classes, when about 170 pupils were present. Rescue teams continued searching the rubble for victims trapped under debris, and the number of injured was reported to be in the dozens.
Iranian authorities condemned the strike, blaming Israel for what they described as a deliberate attack on civilians. Iran’s Foreign Minister said the victims were “innocent children” and vowed that the attack “will not go unanswered”.
The attack was part of a wider wave of military strikes involving United States and Israel against Iranian targets, which have heightened tensions across the Middle East and drawn calls for restraint from the international community.