Iranian State Media Reports 165 Dead After Strike on Girls' School as Civilian Toll Mounts

Iranian state media reports that the death toll from a strike on a girls' school in southern Iran has climbed to 165, in what would be the single deadliest incident of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign if confirmed. Iran has blamed the United States and Israel for the attack, while the U.S. is 'looking into reports of the incident' and the Israeli Defense Forces say they are 'not aware' of operations in the area where the school was located. The BBC, Washington Post, and Guardian all reported the story prominently, with the Guardian headlining 'The most bitter news: Iran reels as more than 100 children reportedly killed in school bombing.' The reported deaths of scores of schoolchildren — if verified — would dramatically shift the moral calculus of Operation Epic Fury and provide powerful ammunition to critics who have warned that a military campaign of this scale against a country of 88 million people cannot avoid catastrophic civilian casualties. Verification of the reports is complicated by Iran's near-total internet blackout and the regime's history of using civilian casualties for propaganda purposes.