US-Israeli Strike on Iranian School Claims 148 Lives
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Tehran, March 1 (NationPress) The number of fatalities from a coordinated strike by the US and Israel on a girls' elementary school in Iran's southern Hormozgan province has tragically increased to 148, according to local media reports on Sunday.
The assault also resulted in 95 injuries, as stated by local prosecutor Ebrahim Taheri, who was cited by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The majority of those who lost their lives in this horrific event were schoolchildren, with teachers, school personnel, and parents also among the deceased, as reported by Xinhua, referencing Tasnim.
On the morning of Saturday, joint military operations were executed by Israel and the United States targeting Tehran and several other cities in Iran, including Tabriz, Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah, and Karaj. In retaliation, Iran launched missile and drone attacks against US and Israeli bases situated throughout the region.
The strikes in Tehran resulted in the deaths of key figures including Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Secretary of the Defence Council Ali Shamkhani, and Mohammad Pakpour, the chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday evening that military operations against Iran are still ongoing.
"CENTCOM is executing rapid and decisive actions as ordered," the command indicated in a post on X.
In another update released Saturday afternoon, CENTCOM reported that there have been no recorded casualties among US personnel, nor have any US Navy vessels been struck.
"Damage to US facilities has been minimal and has not affected ongoing operations," it further added.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described the operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, on Saturday night as "the most lethal, complex, and precise aerial operation ever conducted."
Hegseth emphasized, "Iran's missile capabilities will be obliterated, including their production facilities. The Iranian navy will face destruction. And, as President Trump has consistently stated, Iran shall never obtain a nuclear weapon."
General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., a former leader of US Central Command, informed US media that the coming 72 to 96 hours will be critical in assessing Iran's capacity to endure a substantial wave of retaliatory missile assaults against US bases and allies in the Middle East.