Published: February 28, 2026 1:37 pm
Author: RT
West Jerusalem has launched a wave of strikes against targets in Iranian cities in cooperation with the US
Fifty-seven students have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a girls’ primary school in the city of Minab, in the south of Iran, the country’s IRNA news agency reported Saturday. It comes amid ongoing air strikes on the Islamic Republic by Israel and the US.
Earlier in the day, Israel launched what it described as a pre-emptive operation against Iranian military and nuclear-related targets, saying the strikes were aimed at neutralizing threats posed by Iran. US President Donald Trump later said Washington was joining the operation, citing the failure of nuclear diplomacy as a direct trigger for renewed bombing.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has denounced the attacks as “criminal military aggression” and said they are taking place “in the midst of a diplomatic process.” The ministry declared that “now is the time to defend the homeland and confront the military aggression of the enemy” and called on UN member states to condemn what it described as an act of aggression and a violation of the UN Charter.
Iran has launched missile and drone attacks in retaliation for the Israeli-US strikes, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying the first wave targeted Israeli territory. Officials in Tehran vowed a “decisive” and potentially prolonged response, further raising fears of a broader Middle East escalation.
Media reports emerged that Iran had targeted several US military facilities across the Middle East, including the 5th Fleet support center in Bahrain, a base in Iraqi Kurdistan, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, Muwaffaq Al Salti Air Base in Jordan, and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Israeli media also reported that roughly 35 missiles were launched toward Israel, with one person reportedly injured.
The latest strikes represent Israel’s second major military campaign against Iran in less than a year. In June 2025, during a 12-day conflict, the Israel Defense Forces in cooperation with the US military carried out a surprise bombing of the Iran’s military and nuclear facilities, killing senior military commanders, government officials, and nuclear scientists.
