US-Israeli Strikes Kill Over 200 Iranians Including 153 at Girls School

US and Israeli forces carried out coordinated strikes inside Iran as part of "Operation Epic Fury," killing at least 201 people and injuring 747 according to the Iranian Red Crescent.

The deadliest single US-Israeli strike hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school in Minab, killing at least 153 children and staff — a detail prominently reported by Al Jazeera but buried by Western outlets.

Al Jazeera

AP News confirmed the school strike but attributed it to anonymous officials, while the Pentagon confirmed six US service members killed without acknowledging the larger Iranian civilian toll.

The Atlantic Council characterized the campaign as "a major shift from degrading military capabilities to pursuing regime change."

Iran retaliated by declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed and launching missile strikes on Israel that killed 11 people.

Iran's defense ministry threatened "no mercy or forgiveness" after US-Israeli strikes assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

American Jewish Committee (AJC)

The closure of the Strait triggered economic shockwaves that Al Jazeera covered as a consequence of the US-initiated war, while AP framed it as Iranian aggression.

This divergence reveals how the same retaliatory action is presented as aggression or self-defense depending on editorial stance.

Trump threatened to continue the bombing with ferocious unyielding resolve, a quote featured by AP but stripped of context.

“March 2, 2026 *Update - AJC's explainer on the 2026 Israel-Iranian regime war can be found here, The Iran Strikes, Explained: How We Got Here and What It Means”

American Jewish Committee (AJC)

A Reuters poll found only 27 percent of Americans approved of the strikes while 43 percent disapproved.

The Atlantic Council warned the campaign was a high-risk gamble with unclear objectives and weak legal and political justification.