Death Toll Rises to 148 After US-Israeli Strike Hits Girls’ School in Southern Iran

Tehran, March 2026 : The death toll from a joint US–Israeli airstrike on a girls’ elementary school in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province has climbed to 148, according to Iranian media reports on Sunday, marking one of the deadliest civilian incidents since the latest escalation in regional hostilities.

Local prosecutor Ebrahim Taheri was quoted by semi-official Tasnim News Agency as saying that at least 95 people were also wounded in the attack. The majority of those killed were young pupils, while teachers, school staff and several parents who had been present on the premises were also among the victims. The report described scenes of devastation at the school, with emergency responders continuing rescue and recovery operations amid widespread damage.

The incident occurred amid a sweeping wave of joint military operations launched early Saturday by the United States and Israel against multiple Iranian targets. According to Iranian and international reports, strikes were carried out not only in Tehran, but also in several major cities, including Tabriz, Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Karaj. Iranian authorities said the strikes targeted key political, military and strategic infrastructure.

In response, Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones against Israeli territory and US military bases across the Middle East, sharply escalating the conflict and raising fears of a broader regional war.

Iranian media have also reported that the attacks on Tehran resulted in the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Defence Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, and Mohammad Pakpour, the chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. These claims have significantly heightened tensions and uncertainty within Iran and across the region.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Saturday that American military operations against Iran were continuing. In a post on X, CENTCOM stated that it was “delivering swift and decisive action as directed,” adding in a separate update that there had so far been no reported US casualties and no US Navy vessels had been struck.

“Damage to US installations was minimal and has not impacted operations,” the command said, underscoring that American forces remained fully operational.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described the campaign—dubbed Operation Epic Fury—as “the most lethal, most complex, and most-precision aerial operation in history.” He asserted that Iran’s missile capabilities, naval assets and production facilities were being systematically targeted, reiterating Washington’s long-standing position that Iran would not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.

Adding to the sense of urgency, former CENTCOM commander Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. told US media that the next three to four days would be critical in determining whether Iran could sustain large-scale retaliatory missile strikes against US bases and allied targets in the region.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)