The circumstances unfolding in the Middle East right now is absolutely heart-rending and terrifying all at once. United States and Israel carry out enormous joint airstrikes across Iran, strike military sites, leadership compounds, and what Iran allege were civilian areas too. Detonation rocked Tehran from early morning, with thick black fumes stand up over downtown, especially near the offices and residence of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. People in the capital express chaos: parents rushing to pull kids out of schools, long lines at gas stations as folks tried to flee the city, cell signals dropping in the spots, and pure panic in the streets.
The most gut-wrenching part coming out of Iran is the claim that one of these strikes—attributed to the US and Israel—directly hit Shajareh Tayyebeh, an elementary school for girls in Minab, down in Hormozgan territory in the south. Iranian state media, reports, say the death toll there has climbed frequently through the day: first dozens, then up to 53 or 64, and now they’re reporting at least 85 young students killed, mostly girls, with many more harmed.
President Masoud Pezeshkian called it a “cowardly” and “barbaric” act, saying it jerked open deep wounds in the nation and across the world. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke of “dozens of innocent children” lost in the broad daylight while classes were in the session. Footage shared by Iranian outlets shows smoke pouring from what looks like a ruined school building—it’s hard to even look at without feeling sick.
There’s a Revolutionary Guard base nearby in Minab, so some suggest any strike might have been aimed there and collateral damage happened—but Iran is adamant the school itself was hit. Either way, the loss of so many kids, if true, is a tragedy that cuts through all the politics.
On the US-Israel side, President Trump went on Truth Social and elsewhere to announce “major combat operations” under what they’re calling Operation Epic Fury (or Roaring Lion from the Israeli side). He urged Iranians to rise up and “take over your government,” basically framing this as a push toward regime change after nuclear talks broke down. Israeli officials say it was preemptive, going after threats from Iran’s military, nuclear program, and top leaders. There are unconfirmed reports that strikes targeted Khamenei, Pezeshkian, and other senior figures directly, though Iran’s foreign minister said Khamenei is alive “as far as I know.”
Iran hit back fast—missiles and drones toward Israel, sirens blaring there, strikes on US bases in the Gulf, even reports of debris killing at least one civilian in Abu Dhabi. Explosions reported in Bahrain near the US 5th Fleet too.
Sources:
NBC News
France 24
Al Jazeera
NPR coverage
IRIB
Tasnim
IRNA
