Murder of innocence: Israeli-US aggression on southern Iran school killed 165 children

By Zeinab Hejazi

A man in his early forties stared at a pink school bag, drenched in blood. Holding it close, he kissed the bag before slowly rummaging through the books and notebooks inside.

As his eyes scanned the pages, they welled with tears as a painful cry escaped him.

His daughter was among the victims of a US-Israel terror strike on Saturday morning that devastated the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary girls' school in Minab, Hormozgan.

Taheri, the Prosecutor of Minab, confirmed the horrific toll, “Yesterday morning, following the criminal attack by America and the criminal Zionist regime, an elementary school was targeted.

So far, 165 children have been martyred and nearly 100 injured in this savage attack, most of whom were students. Among the martyrs are also educational staff and parents of the students."

The elementary school, once bright with cheerful murals and vibrant classrooms, now stands as irrefutable evidence of a deliberate, savage act of aggression by the US and Israel, constituting a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.

Offering his condolences on the brutal assault, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian stated, “The heartbreaking tragedy at the Shajarat Tayyibeh Elementary School in Minab and the martyrdom of dozens of innocent students following the treacherous attack by the American and Zionist aggressors on civilian centers has grieved the hearts of all Iranians and free people.”

Pezeshkian added that “this inhuman, brutal act is another dark page in the endless record of the aggressors’ crimes against this land, which will never be erased from the historical memory of our nation.”

Children killed

The attack, carried out as part of unprovoked and unlawful US-Israel terror aggression on Saturday, completely leveled the two-story building, which housed a school for boys on the ground floor and a girls' school on the first floor.

The location was entirely civilian, serving solely as a sanctuary where children gathered to learn and play.

In the immediate aftermath of the act of terrorism, thick smoke could be seen rising from the burnt-out walls as debris was strewn across the road. Distressed parents and families gathered at the scene while screams echoed throughout the area.

In the quiet town of Minab, the school was known for its cheerful atmosphere, colorful furniture, and dedicated staff. Its modest walls were decorated with children’s art, and a swing stood in the yard, everything designed to foster joy and comfort for the young girls and boys.

That sense of joy vanished in an instant when the US-Israeli terrorist strike demolished the elementary school, shattering the calm and leaving behind a scene of chaos and blood.

Hossein Kermanpour, spokesperson for Iran’s health ministry, posted on X that the bombing of the school was “the most bitter news” of the war so far. “God knows how many more children’s bodies they will pull from under the rubble.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi strongly condemned the massacre of dozens of innocent school children in the US- Israeli attack.

“The destroyed building is a primary school for girls in the south of Iran. It was bombed in broad daylight, when packed with young pupils,” he wrote on the social media platform X on Saturday evening, posting a photo of the destroyed school.

He concluded, “Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone.” The top Iranian diplomat stressed that these crimes will not go unpunished.

Systematic strategy of aggression

The strike on Minab is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of violations of international humanitarian law by the United States and Israel.

Under the Geneva Conventions, attacks on civilians are strictly forbidden, and the Rome Statute classifies such deliberate acts as war crimes.

Yet, Israel, with American backing, flagrantly violates these laws, extending its relentless military aggression across the West Asian region, from the Iranians, Palestinians, to others.

The United Nations placed Israel on its “blacklist” of nations abusing children in armed conflict for the years 2024 and 2025.

This systematic aggression by Israel was evident during the two-year-long genocide in Gaza, where an entire school class of children was killed on average every day, according to the UN.

Israel’s aggression was also visible in June last year, when the regime targeted hospitals, kindergartens, ambulances, and residential homes in Iran in its 12-day war against the Islamic Republic.

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