Tehran, 03 March (Agency). The funeral prayers of the students of a school targeted in a missile attack in the city of Minab, Iran, have been offered in the presence of local authorities. According to Iranian media, the Shajarat al-Tayyibah Elementary School in Minab was targeted in a missile attack on Saturday morning. Prosecutor of Minab, Ibrahim Taheri, said that the number of people killed in the school is 168, while 96 are injured. Taheri said that most of the dead and injured were students. Iran holds the US and Israel responsible, however, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US cannot deliberately target a school, and US agencies are investigating whether it was a result of their attack.

The US has denied the attack. The United Nations' cultural and educational organization, UNESCO, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, have condemned the incident. The UN Human Rights Office has called for "immediate, impartial, and thorough investigations into the circumstances of the attack." Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that the office of High Commissioner Volker Turk does not have enough information to determine whether it was a war crime or not. Shamdasani said that "it is absolutely horrific," and images circulating on social media have "captured the devastation, despair, and senselessness and brutality of this conflict." Deliberately attacking an educational institution, hospital, or other civilian infrastructure is a war crime under international humanitarian law.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday, "The Department of War will investigate whether it was our strike, and I will forward your question to them." According to the Iranian Red Crescent, the death toll in the US and Israeli attacks on Iran has risen to 787, with 153 Iranian cities targeted. The Iranian Red Crescent said that over 1,000 attacks have been carried out in more than 500 locations in 153 Iranian cities.

On the other hand, a high alert has been issued across Israel following reports of a possible Iranian missile attack. According to Arab media, air raid sirens have started sounding in the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv. Reports say that citizens have been instructed to move to safe locations. Arab media reported that the Israeli defense system destroyed the Iranian missiles in the air, and authorities are continuously monitoring the situation.