A girl’s elementary school in Minab, Iran, was struck by Israeli missiles earlier this morning. Iran’s foreign ministry called this attack an act of “indiscriminate aggression” towards civilian sites and defensive infrastructure alike. Although The Israel Defense Ministry declared that the strike was launched because an imminent “missile and drone attack” was expected from Iran, the first casualties of this joint USA-Israel military operation, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury“, were mostly young girls between the ages of seven and 12. The updated numbers tell us that over 100 children were killed in this operation.
Why did The USA and Israel Strike Iran?
President Trump announced early on Saturday: “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.” According to senior officials, the USA and Israel chose to strike Iran because its leaders refused to abandon pursuits of nuclear arms. Their goal was to eliminate any possible threat to Israel.
As such, the preemptive strike was launched to prevent this from ever happening. Furthermore, Trump has implied that he may have plans to “take over” the country.
Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, has called this attack “unprovoked, illegal and absolutely illegitimate.” Additionally, he went on to say that the murders of these school children “would not go unanswered”.
How has Iran Retaliated So Far?
Iran has launched numerous strikes across the Middle East in retaliation. Its primary targets have been areas hosting US military bases. So far, it has struck military areas in Kuwait, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Bahrain, killing over 200 and injuring over 700.
Yemeni Houthis have resumed drone and missile attacks on Israel and its shipping routes to support Iran’s retaliation.
Tensions are mounting worldwide, and many news channels imply that these actions may have just launched World War III.
Related Article: U.S. Drops Massive Bombs on Iranian Nuclear Facilities
What Supporters and Critics are Saying
Canada, the UK, and Australia support the preemptive strikes, while China and Russia have strongly condemned them. A Chinese Embassy spokesperson based in Washington expressed Beijing’s high concern towards these attacks. Additionally, both China and Russia have called for immediate de-escalation and a stop to further military action.
Although Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has expressed support for the strike, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet expressed concern instead. His view was that this military strike was executed without Congressional approval. Additionally, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide described the strike as “not in line with international law.”
Meanwhile, international critics of the joint USA-Israel operation are accusing Trump of using this attack to distract from Trump’s apparent presence in the Epstein files. Furthermore, citizens worldwide are condemning the attack that wreaked such havoc on the Minab elementary school.
Sentiments across social media outlets such as Instagram, Threads, X, and Bluesky are overwhelmingly against the attack, with posts such as:
“Imagine telling the world that you’re liberating the women of Iran and one of the first things you do is blow up a school full of girls.”
Featured Image via Middle East Eye, Telegram