Conflict between Israel and Iran: A Tomahawk missile attack on a school in southern Iran in February that reportedly killed more than 160 people, mostly children, was likely the result of a targeting error by the United States, according to a preliminary US military investigation cited in a New York Times report.
The March 11 report, citing unnamed U.S. officials and others familiar with the initial findings, said the original investigation concluded that the February 28 strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh school building was the result of a targeting error by U.S. military planners.
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The NYT report comes days after a CBS report found that the United States may have been responsible for the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran. The report, citing sources, said a preliminary US assessment indicated Washington was “probably” responsible for the attack, adding that it may have hit the school by mistake, possibly due to the use of outdated intelligence.
A preliminary investigation found that the US military was attacking an adjacent Iranian base, which used to include a school building. NYT report.
US Central Command officers created target coordinates for the strike using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the people told the investigation cited in the report.
The findings are preliminary, and some unanswered questions remain about why the outdated information was not double-checked.
Iranian officials said at least 160 people, most of them children, were killed in the attack on the first day of a joint US-Israeli strike on Iran that also killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The NYT report said satellite images, social media posts and verified videos collected by the newspaper’s visual investigation team indicated the school was severely damaged by a precision strike that occurred around the same time as the attacks on the naval base.
The NYT report said satellite images, social media posts and verified videos collected by the newspaper’s visual investigation team indicated the school was severely damaged by a precision strike that occurred around the same time as the attacks on the naval base. The analysis showed the base was hit again within about two hours of the initial strikes, it said.
The NYT also verified a video recorded Sunday by Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency. The video also shows a Tomahawk cruise missile hitting a naval base next to a school in Minabu on February 28.
Sharjareh Yayyebeh Girls’ Elementary School in the city of Minab, Iran, is on the same block as buildings used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy, a major target of US military strikes, the NYT report said, citing satellite images.
There were clear visual signs that this was an educational facility, including colorful murals on the walls and small sports fields – both of which can be seen in some satellite images. A visual investigation by the NYT showed that the building that housed the school was fenced off from the military base between 2013 and 2016.
There was no indication that the school was a military building at the time of the strike, the report said, adding that its location provided a plausible reason why the US or Israel could have chosen targets in the area.
“Officials briefed on the investigation said the building was not always used as a school, although it is not clear exactly when a school opened on the site. A visual investigation by The Times showed that the building that housed the school was fenced off from the military base between 2013 and 2016,” the NYT reports.
The US has so far denied the allegations. This Saturday, President Donald Trump claimed Iran was responsible for the school bombing. “In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, Iran did it … They’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their ammunition. They have no accuracy. Iran did it,” he said.
What is the attack about?
Iran has accused the United States and Israel of carrying out a deadly missile attack on a school on the first day of the Middle East war on February 28.
Israel has denied any connection to the strike New York Times announced on Wednesday that it resulted from mistargeting by the US military.
What does Iran say?
The strike and the initial death toll were first reported by Iranian media citing the governor of Minab, a district in southern Iran, on February 28, the first day of US-Israeli strikes on Iran that also killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The reported toll rose quickly, and state media said funerals were held for at least 165 people, including slain students.
State television showed footage showing a large crowd of mourners weeping over what appeared to be bodies wrapped in white shrouds. Other images released by state media showed individuals preparing coffins draped in the Iranian flag – some bearing photographs of children.
President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the United States and Israel for the intervention.
What is the Trump administration saying?
US President Donald Trump initially suggested Iran itself was to blame, but later said he could “live with” whatever the investigation revealed.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the school was hit by a US Tomahawk missile due to an error in targeting. Citing US officials, the newspaper said the investigation was continuing, but preliminary findings indicated the United States was responsible.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that the United States will not intentionally target the school.
What does Israel say?
Israel has denied any involvement or knowledge of the strike.
“We checked several times and found no connection between the IDF and what happened at that school,” said Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani.
where is the school
Norwegian rights group Hengaw said the school was holding its morning session when the strike occurred, with about 170 students in attendance.
The AFP news agency placed the clip inside a building in Minabu, although it was unable to independently verify the nature of the location. The agency confirmed that the building was in close proximity to two sites controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The attack on the school was the result of a targeting error by US military planners.
The Shahid Absalan Clinic, under the supervision of the Naval Guard Medical Command, is 238 meters (780 ft) from the site, while the IRGC’s Seyed al-Shohada Cultural Complex is 286 meters away.
(With inputs from AFP and NYT)
