Video Shows US Tomahawk Hit IRGC Base Beside Girls' School, Iran Says 168 Killed
Minab strike footage
Newly released and independently verified footage shows a Tomahawk cruise missile striking an IRGC naval base beside the Shajareh Tayyebeh (Good Tree) girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, on Feb. 28.
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The blasts have been linked to the deaths of roughly 168–175 people, most of them children.
Footage release and verification
The footage was released by Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency and filmed from a nearby construction site.
Open-source investigators, including Bellingcat and New York Times analysts, geolocated and verified the clip by matching visible landmarks with satellite imagery and the filming location.
Munition identified as Tomahawk
Weapons analysts who examined the clip identified the munition as a Tomahawk cruise missile.
“- Published A US Tomahawk missile hit a military base near a primary school in southern Iran where Iranian authorities said 168 people, including around 110 children, were killed, expert video analysis shows”
BBC Verify cited three weapons experts who reached that conclusion.
Jeffrey Lewis told NPR the footage is consistent with a Tomahawk, and Bellingcat and NYT analysts have underscored the finding.
Reported school casualties
Reports differ slightly on the death toll but consistently describe mass civilian casualties among schoolchildren.
UNICEF and some outlets report 168 girls aged 7–12 killed during school hours.
Other local reports and international outlets cite figures around 175 or a 165–180 range and describe many victims as students, creating a clear contradiction in the reported toll.
Attribution and responses
The material has fed political controversy and competing narratives.
“local time, shortly after the U”
Several outlets say the video and geolocation evidence contradict President Trump's claim that Iran was responsible.
The US and Israel have not publicly accepted responsibility.
Media organisations have sought comment from the US as investigations continue.
Key Takeaways
- Verified video shows a Tomahawk missile striking an IRGC naval base beside a girls' school
- Iranian authorities reported about 168–175 people killed, most of them children
- The U.S. military is the only force in the conflict that uses Tomahawk missiles
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