UPDATE - At least 57 killed in Israeli-US strike on girls’ school in southern Iran, Iranian media reports

UPDATES DEATH TOLL; CHANGES DECK, LEDE

By Tarek Chouiref and Rania Abushamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 57 students were killed and 60 others injured after an Israeli-US airstrike targeted a girls’ primary school in the city of Minab in southern Iran’s Hormozgan province, Iranian state media reported Saturday.

The official IRNA news agency said the school was directly hit in a three-stage missile attack, citing Education Ministry spokesperson Ali Farhadi.

Minab’s provincial Gov. Mohammad Radmehr confirmed the casualties and that debris removal operations with rescue and relief efforts were ongoing due to the extent of the destruction.

Radmehr also said that 53 students are still under the rubble, according to the news agency.

He noted that the city’s security situation was stable.

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran early Saturday, claiming it was meant to remove “threats” posed by the Iranian “regime.” Separate video statements were released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, which hinted at supporting efforts for a change in government in Tehran.

Iran termed the strikes a violation of sovereignty, vowed to respond and launched retaliatory strikes.

The developments came as Oman was mediating talks between Washington and Tehran on Iran’s nuclear program, and the latest round was held in Geneva on Thursday.