*Shrapnel Kills One In Bahrain
*Explosions Hit Tehran Presidential District
The death toll count has begun in the war between US/Israel against Iran, which kicked off today, as Iran’s state-run IRNA News Agency reported that at least 40 people were killed after an Israeli strike hit a girls’ elementary school in Minab in the southern Hormozgan province.
At least 45 others were wounded in the attack, the news agency reported. It provided no further details about the casualties.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has a base located in Minab, according to reports.
Also, in a tit for tat, the IRGC said it has fired missiles against US military bases in the Gulf in retaliation against the major US-Israel attack on Iran.
Explosions were reported in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar. One person has been killed from shrapnel from an Iranian missile in the UAE, officials said.
Explosions shook the Iranian capital Tehran, where people reported seeing smoke rising from the district that includes the presidential palace.
Iran has also launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, with blasts reported in the skies over Jerusalem.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said air defence systems were working to shoot down the “barrage of missiles” launched from Iran.
Israeli officials told media that top Iranian regime and military leaders, including Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian, were targeted in the attacks.
It is believed that Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been taken to a secure location, while Iranian media is reporting that Pezeshkian is safe.
US President Donald Trump has vowed that the “massive and ongoing” campaign against Iran would crush its military, eliminate its nuclear programme and bring about a change in government.
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the “joint operation” against the Iranian government could “create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”
Talks between the US and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear programme ended inconclusively on Friday, with a suggestion that further discussions would be held next week. Trump had said he was “not happy” with the progress of discussions.
Bahrain Evacuates People From US Base Location
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said it has begun to evacuate people from the Juffair area, south-east of the capital Manama, where a US naval base is located.
“We urge your cooperation with the relevant authorities,” the Ministry said in a statement posted on social media.
It was reported earlier of the multiple explosions near the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
*Smoke rises in the sky after blasts were heard in Manama, Bahrain.
