US and Israeli airstrikes have pounded civilian targets across Iran since the war began on February 28, damaging more than 19,734 civilian units, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).
The ICRS said the figure includes 16,191 residential units, 3,384 commercial units, 77 pharmaceutical and medical centers, and at least 69 schools.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, or HRANA, a US-based NGO that’s very critical of the Iranian government, has also recorded many attacks on civilian targets and significant civilian casualties. On Monday night, the group said that since the war began, it has recorded 1,245 civilian deaths, including 194 children, and 189 military fatalities. Another 327 deaths remain unclassified.
The HRANA said strikes on Monday included attacks that hit two museums, a medical center, a sports stadium, a car dealership, and several military targets. The group said a total of 40 civilians were killed over a 24-hour period.
The worst incident of civilian harm came during the opening hours of the US-Israeli bombing campaign when an elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, was hit and 175 people were massacred, the vast majority being schoolgirls and boys. All available evidence indicates the school was hit by a US Tomahawk missile.
US and Israeli strikes pounded Tehran overnight Monday into Tuesday, with residents reporting it as the heaviest bombardment yet. “It felt like tens of fighter jets were flying right above our heads for 15 minutes straight at first, then a few minutes of pause before the next rounds of strikes came in,” Sima, a resident of Western Tehran, told Al Jazeera.
“The ground and the windows and our hearts were shaking, but we took shelter in our bathroom and got through it,” added Sima, who didn’t use her real name due to security concerns.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth held a press conference on Tuesday morning and vowed that the bombing campaign would intensify. “We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated, but we do so, we do so on our timeline and at our choosing,” he said. “For example, today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran, the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence more refined and better than ever.”
