On February 28, a missile struck Shazareh Tayebeh School, a girls’ primary school in Minab, Hormozgan Province, Iran. Iranian officials said at least 165 people were killed in the strike, most of them children.
The president spoke on Air Force One on Saturday Donald Trump The US has denied responsibility for the attack. “From what I saw, it was done Iran,” he told reporters.
However, newly released video suggests that the school was hit by a US Tomahawk missile in an attack on an adjacent naval base.
The video below, shared by Mehr News Agency and geolocalized by Sky News’ data and forensics team, shows the moment a missile hit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base in Minab, not far from Shazareh Tayyebeh School.
In the video, thick smoke can already be seen emanating from the direction of the school, indicating that it was hit recently.
Analysis of the video by munitions expert NR Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services (ARES), confirms the munitions used were Tomahawk missiles, identified by distinctive fins protruding from both sides of the body. If he is right it indicates that the school was hit by US forces.
“The video shows the Tomahawk missile hitting the target,” Mr Jenzen-Jones said. “Given the fighters, this indicates a US strike, as Israel is not known to have Tomahawk missiles.
“Despite various claims circulating online, the munition in question is clearly not an Iranian Soumar missile.”
Tomahawk missile wings are folded during launch and unfold when the missile is airborne.
Video from US Central Command, filmed the same day as the school shooting, shows Tomahawk missiles being fired from a US warship as part of its operations in Iran.
This is not proof that those particular guided missiles hit any school, but it does show that they were being used.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the school strike was under investigation, but added that “Iran is the only place targeting civilians.”
Accurate shots
Satellite imagery of the school building and naval base shows extensive damage to several buildings after the strike.
Circular holes can be seen in the center of three buildings at the naval base targeted in the US strikes, including a building listed as a clinic and pharmacy.
There were three visible strike impact points on buildings at the IRCG base and an impact on a school. Credit: Planet Labs PBC
A similar hole can be seen still standing in a section of the school building.
The shape and placement of the pores is revealed.
“Satellite imagery taken in conjunction with known US operational practice makes it almost certain that these strikes were carried out with precision-guided munitions,” Mr Jenzen-Jones told Sky News.
Change in satellite imagery
A 2013 image shows a school building in an IRGC compound. However, the wall separating the school building and its grounds from the naval base was constructed between 2013 and 2016.
A later satellite image from 2018 shows newly constructed walls painted in dark colors. The grounds around the school seem to be decorated with chalk markings – a hand-drawn sports court and decorative patterns can be seen.
Credit: Google Earth
Information revealed in a newly released video by Minab casts doubt on Mr Trump’s claim.
UN experts last week strongly condemned the strike on the school, calling it a “serious attack on children, on education and on the future of the entire community”.
She highlighted the fact that schools are civilian buildings and children are clearly protected under international humanitarian law.
After effect
Videos from the aftermath of the strike show workers digging through the rubble of the school building. A dust-covered backpack can be found among the debris.
On March 3, Mehr News Agency released photographs of rows of graves excavated at Minab Cemetery. Image shows 77 excavated graves, at least 23 in progress.
The footage is said to show graves being prepared for those killed in the strike on the school. Source: Mehr News
Additional production by Michelle Inez Simon.
The Data x Forensics The team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We collect, analyze and visualize data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source data. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while showing how our journalism is done.
