Deadliest Civilian Tragedy of the War
The BBC has revisited the findings surrounding the February 28 strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, southern Iran. The attack, which occurred during the opening hours of the US-Israeli war with Iran, killed 156 people, including 120 children, a pregnant woman, and her unborn child.
Evidence Points to US Forces
Expert analysis indicates that US forces likely struck the school unintentionally. The building stood next to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound, which satellite imagery confirms was hit several times. Video evidence shows the IRGC compound was struck by a Tomahawk missile — a weapon type associated with US forces. Satellite images confirm both the compound and the school were hit. Historical records reveal the school site was once part of the IRGC complex but had been walled off since 2016, with its own entrances and yards.
US Military Investigation
The US has not formally accepted responsibility. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that US forces “never target civilian targets” and announced a higher-level investigation. Reports from US media suggest outdated intelligence data may have led to the school being misidentified as part of a military site. The US Department of Defense told the BBC the investigation remains ongoing, with no further updates.
Iranian Response
Iranian authorities argue the strike demonstrates that Washington’s campaign, presented as targeting military infrastructure, has instead inflicted devastating civilian losses. The foreign ministry rejected US claims that the school was located on an “active IRGC cruise missile base,” calling it a “baseless fabrication.” Local residents told BBC Persian the compound had previously been used by an IRGC naval brigade but believed its military use had ceased years earlier. Photographs show civilian facilities such as a clinic and car wash within the compound.
Human Cost
Teachers and survivors continue to mourn. Amaineh Nademi, a first-grade teacher, recalls: “You can’t call it a school — just walls that smell of death, grief and the blood that was shed here.” Rescue workers are still searching for remains, and families gather daily at the site to pray. The tragedy in Minab stands as the deadliest civilian incident of the war, raising urgent questions about intelligence failures and the protection of non-combatants in conflict zones.
Broader Context
In a related incident, at least 19 people, mostly women and children, were killed in an Israeli strike on a three-story building in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon. TRT World reported, citing local media, that the development occurred on Sunday morning, March 8. Steve Sweeney, an award-winning, Beirut-based war correspondent who reports from the ground, also confirmed the sad update.
