Elementary school in Tehran hit in US-Israel strikes: Iran
If confirmed, the incident would mark the fourth school hit in Iran since the conflict began.
An elementary school in Tehran's Niloufar Square has been struck in US-Israeli attacks, according to Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Friday (6 March) that Shahid Hamedani School was hit in the attack. He shared a video on X showing the school with students before and after the strike but did not provide details on casualties or the exact circumstances, reports Al Jazeera.
If confirmed, the incident would mark the fourth school hit in Iran since the conflict began.
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The first reported school strike occurred on 28 February, the opening day of US and Israeli attacks, when the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school in the southern city of Minab was hit. According to UN experts, the attack killed 160 children and five staff members.
Some Israeli-linked websites and social media accounts claimed the site was part of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base. However, an analysis by Al Jazeera's digital investigations unit using satellite imagery, video footage and official statements suggested the school had remained separate from a nearby military facility for at least a decade.
The investigation also raised questions about the intelligence used for the strike and whether the school may have been deliberately targeted.
Amid growing scrutiny, the United States acknowledged it was investigating the incident. Reuters reported, citing two US officials, that military investigators believe US forces were likely responsible for the apparent strike but have not yet reached a final conclusion.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk urged Washington to conduct a swift investigation.
"We need this to happen very quickly and we need to also make sure that there is accountability as well as redress for the victims," he told reporters in Geneva.
State media also reported that missiles fired by US and Israeli forces struck two additional schools in the town of Parand, southwest of Tehran, on Thursday. Photos published by the Fars news agency showed debris scattered across what appeared to be a classroom, with nearby residential buildings also damaged.
According to Unicef, at least 181 children are among more than 1,300 people killed in strikes across Iran so far.
International law experts say deliberately targeting schools would constitute a war crime. If US involvement is confirmed, the strike could rank among the most severe civilian casualty incidents in decades of US military operations in the Middle East.
