At least 80 children dead as missile reportedly hits school in southern Iran | Iran

When Iranian parents dropped their children off at class Saturday morning, they found themselves running for the school gate as bombs began falling across the country in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack.

They arrived at an elementary school and found destruction there, according to Iran’s state-controlled media. At least 80 children were killed in an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, and the identities of dozens of others are unknown, IRNA news agency reported.

In a video circulating on social media purporting to show the immediate aftermath of the strike, smoke rises from burnt walls and debris spreads across the road. Hundreds of onlookers gathered at the scene, some clearly distressed. Screams can be heard in the background. The report of the bombing, the death toll and the source of the video could not immediately be independently verified by the Guardian. Persian verification service Factnameh was able to cross-reference the video with other photos on the school website and concluded that the video was real. Reuters said it also confirmed that the images belonged to the school.

The school appears to be adjacent to the Revolutionary Guard barracks. If the death toll is confirmed, the school bombing would be the largest mass casualty incident so far in a US-led offensive.

Iranians across the country said they felt a mixture of fear and hope as the bombings continued. Some expressed relief that the long-awaited attacks were coming, and opponents of the regime expressed hope that they could lead to political change; but both have relented over fears that the attacks would lead to more civilian deaths in a country already reeling from recent bloodshed.

In Tehran, some people took shelter in their homes, while others ran through traffic jams to find their children as schools were closed. Many said they had been preparing for a possible war for weeks by stockpiling water and supplies.

Amir*, a 37-year-old who owns a bakery in Tehran, said he was “relieved” to hear strikes had hit government buildings but feared collateral damage. “My concern is that innocent people are killed,” he said. Amir feared more bloodshed during the Iranian regime’s latest crackdown on nationwide protests that left family members injured. “We have suffered a lot, but we do not want to see body bags on the streets due to US and Israeli attacks,” he said.

The attacks came amid diplomatic negotiations between Iran and the United States, nearly seven weeks after Tehran violently cracked down on anti-regime demonstrations across the country and government forces opened fire on unarmed protesters. According to the US-based Human Rights Activist news agency (HRANA), which documented the disappearances, more than 7,000 people While it has been confirmed that there were deaths in the protests, the investigation into the deaths of more than 11,000 people continues.

Some of those who lost friends or family members in the protests expressed defiance: “We fear that our citizens will be killed,” said Mohsen, 25, an IT worker in Tehran. [by the US/Israeli strikes]But I witnessed my friends being shot by the regime, just like thousands of us.

“I really don’t know what we will witness. But thanks to the regime and its killing machine, we have already seen what a war zone feels like.”

Moein*, a 21-year-old student at Tehran University, said he heard loud noises near the university as the bombs were being dropped.

He participated in the recent protests and killed two of his friends in the crackdown. “We were not in favor of foreign intervention because we did not want our loved ones to be killed, but the regime has already murdered our families. When the weapons come from the USA, do they hit us softer than when they come from the regime’s killing machines?”

Moein said that although the city is concerned, it is not panicking. “We were preparing for war, so we stocked up on essentials,” he said. “As far as I know, there are no bomb shelters for us ordinary people.” He and others in the field said they were intermittently unable to access state media; however, it is unclear whether this is due to cyber attacks or websites being overwhelmed with traffic.

The war was launched by the United States and Israel on Saturday morning; Donald Trump announced he was launching “major combat operations” against Iran and called on Iranians to stand up and “take over your government.” The United States had established a significant military presence in the region in recent weeks in preparation for an attack.

“I’m not surprised at all because we’ve been expecting an attack for weeks,” said Mehnaz*, 27, who lives in Tehran. He was having breakfast around 9 a.m. when he heard loud explosions. “We live close to the presidential office and the administrative headquarters of the leader of the government,” he said. The first attacks appeared to be close to the offices and campus of religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Mehnaz said there are mixed feelings, especially among opponents of the current government. “It’s a weird feeling,” he said. “Both fear and hope for the end of the regime.”

* Names have been changed