U.S. Tomahawk Strike Destroys Minab Elementary School, Killing 120 Children

On February 28, 2026, two U.S. Tomahawk missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, demolishing the building and killing 120 children along with dozens of other civilians, according to the Drop Site investigation reported by Commondreams. Survivors described the blast as “two simultaneous sounds” that shattered the schoolyard, leaving teachers and parents scrambling for cover amid smoke and falling plaster.

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The school had operated publicly as an elementary institution since 2015, maintaining an active website that displayed classroom activities and satellite images captured two months before the strike showing children in the schoolyard. An internal Pentagon review concluded that the missiles were launched from a list generated by the Maven AI system, which failed to classify the site as a school. A United Nations fact-finding mission later determined the school was the “intended point of impact,” not collateral damage. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has advocated for looser engagement rules, has not publicly addressed the specific Minab incident. The Pentagon’s internal investigation confirmed the use of two Tomahawk missiles, but U.S. officials have not formally accepted responsibility.

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• “Two simultaneous sounds. They’re still in my ear. My son even describes them—‘Wooosh, boom! Woosh, boom!’—and then the explosion very close by,” — Hossniyeh Salem

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• “There’s no way to say that this was some type of error,” — Hala Rharrit

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