Israeli forces attack Iranian girls’ school, killing at least 40 people
At least 40 people were killed in an Israeli attack on an Iranian girls’ school, according to reports, and another school in northwestern Iran was also attacked.
Hours later, the U.S. military announced that no U.S. service members were killed or injured in a series of attacks carried out by Iran on U.S. military bases across the Middle East in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel missile attack on Iran on February 28.
In a Feb. 28 statement posted to X, U.S. Central Command said its military “successfully defended itself” against hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones, and there were “no reports of U.S. military casualties or combat-related injuries.” “Damage to U.S. military facilities was minimal and operations were not affected,” the statement said.
There are between 30,000 and 40,000 U.S. troops stationed in the region at any given time, Central Command spokesman Col. Tim Hawkins previously told USA TODAY.
According to the country’s communications center, a service center for the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquartered in Bahrain was hit by a missile attack. Footage reviewed by multiple news organizations showed the moment the missile landed near the naval base, sending plumes of smoke rising.
The U.S. struck Iran in about an hour after midnight on February 28, hitting targets to “dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus,” including Revolutionary Guard command and control facilities, “air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields,” according to the statement.
President Donald Trump has been threatening a second attack on Iran for months, ordering the largest buildup of U.S. troops and military assets in the region since the Iraq war began more than a decade ago. The US military had previously dropped a penetrating bomb on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June.
In response to the U.S. attack, Iran launched attacks on U.S. allies across the region, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, where U.S. troops are stationed. Videos posted on social media and news outlets showed missiles hitting urban areas and skyscrapers.
X’s video also showed the missile being shot down over Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command. Qatar’s Ministry of Defense announced that a missile fired at the base was intercepted.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense said three members of the Kuwaiti military suffered minor injuries from falling debris during the attack on Ali Al Salem Air Base, where the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing is based.
The Iraqi government said in a statement that the Iraqi city of Erbil, which has a US air base, was also hit by a missile attack. Reuters reported that explosions were also heard in Al Dhafra, the former US air base south of the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi.
According to reports, missiles were also intercepted in Jordan, where the Air Force’s 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing is based at Muwafaq al-Salti Air Base.
The same cannot be said for Iran. The attack killed more than 200 people and injured more than 700 across Iran, including 40 at a girls’ school in the country’s south, state media said.
