An investigation conducted by the media network Al Jazeera has suggested that a deadly missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran may not have been accidental, raising serious questions about the intelligence used during the ongoing military campaign carried out by the United States and Israel. The attack occurred on the morning of February 28, 2026, when dozens of young students had gathered for their regular classes at the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab. At the same time, the United States and Israel had launched the first wave of strikes targeting locations across Iran as part of a broader military escalation. According to Iranian authorities, several missiles struck the school building while children and teachers were inside classrooms. The powerful explosions destroyed major parts of the structure and caused the roof to collapse, trapping students and staff beneath the rubble. Local residents and emergency teams rushed to the site in desperate attempts to rescue survivors, pulling injured children and teachers from the debris as the scale of the tragedy became clear. Officials later confirmed that at least 165 people had been killed in the strike, the majority of them girls aged between seven and twelve, while at least 95 others were reported injured.
As images and videos of the destruction began circulating widely on social media platforms, international outrage quickly followed. Both Israeli and US officials attempted to distance themselves from the incident, saying they had no immediate confirmation that a civilian school had been hit. Spokespersons for the US Department of Defense and the Israeli military told international outlets such as Time magazine and The Associated Press that they were unaware that the site was a functioning educational facility. At the same time, several online accounts and websites supportive of Israel suggested that the location might have been connected to a base belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, implying the strike may have targeted a military position rather than a civilian building.
However, the digital investigations team at Al Jazeera conducted a detailed analysis using satellite imagery gathered over more than a decade, along with recently published video footage, archived news reports, and statements issued by Iranian officials. Their findings indicate that the school had been clearly separated from a nearby military compound for at least ten years. The investigation also examined the strike pattern and the surrounding geographic layout of the area. Analysts noted that the trajectory and placement of the missiles raise significant concerns about whether the intelligence used to authorize the attack was accurate or properly verified. The report suggests that the strike may have directly targeted the school rather than being a result of a mistaken hit on a nearby military facility.
