Over 1,330 civilians killed in Iran by ongoing US-Israel attacks

ANKARA

Over 1,330 civilians, including around 300 children, have been killed in Iran amid continuing attacks by the US and Israel, while damage to infrastructure across the country is also rising rapidly, Iran’s ambassador to the UN said on Sunday.

Saeid Iravani said in a statement at the UN that since the attacks began, at least 1,332 Iranian civilians have lost their lives and thousands more have been injured.

The Iranian Red Crescent said around 300 of those killed were children.

The US and Israel launched large-scale airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28 while negotiations between Tehran and Washington were still ongoing, in what Iranian officials later called a diplomatic betrayal.

Iran responded by striking Israel as well as US bases and targets across the region, and the conflict quickly escalated into a regional crisis.

Civilian infrastructure targeted

Iranian officials said civilian infrastructure, residential areas, and public facilities were targeted and damaged by the US-Israel attacks.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent, the attacks targeted 7,943 homes, 1,617 commercial sites, 32 health centers, 65 schools and 13 Red Crescent facilities.

In Tehran, densely populated civilian areas, including Enghelab Square, Azadi Square, and Niloufar Square were also bombed.

At the same time as the attacks on Tehran on Feb. 28, a US-Israel strike carried out in the morning on a primary school in the southern city of Minab reportedly killed many students and school staff.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent, at least 165 students and teachers ranging in age from 7 to 12 were killed in the attack.

Oil and energy facilities targeted

On day eight of the war, oil depots and fuel facilities in Tehran became key targets of bombardments.

Airstrikes carried out by Israel and the US hit fuel storage centers in and around the Iranian capital.

Explosions were reported in the city following the attacks, with large fires breaking out in some areas.

Israeli warplanes struck oil depots in Tehran and the province of Karaj, sending thick clouds of smoke into the sky and causing fires that reportedly burned for hours.