'Iran School Struck By Tomahawk, Israel Not Known To Have It': Fact-Checker

The February 28 strike on a military compound in Iran's Minab – in which a school was struck and over 165 people, mostly children – were killed has been traced back to a Tomahawk missile, a conflict researcher with Dutch fact-checking group Bellingcat said X Sunday night.

In a detailed thread Trevor Ball shared what he said was previously unseen footage – from Iran's Mehr News – of the missile striking a building in the compound linked to the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, and said it showed "for the first time, that the United States (had) struck the area".

Bell pointed out: "The US is the only participant in the war that is known to have Tomahawk missiles. Israel is not known to have Tomahawk missiles." To underline that point, the video released by Mehr News also showed comparisons between the missile that struck the IRGC compound and a closer view of another Tomahawk.

Iran's Mehr News released comparative shots of Tomahawk missiles. Image from X post by @easybakeovensz

Bell said the video had been geolocated, i.e., the precise location had been confirmed using digital information, and that it directly contracted President Donald Trump's claim that Israel was responsible for the horrific incident.

In his thread Bell also shared satellite imagery of the IRGC compound and a graphic of the missile's larger area of impact. "… imagery shows only two structures within this red cone were damaged, including a clinic. The other structure appears to be an earth-covered bunker."

New video footage shows a US Tomahawk missile hitting an IRGC facility in Minab, Iran, on Feb 28, showing for the first time that the US struck the area. The footage also shows smoke already rising from the vicinity of the girls' school, where 175 people were reportedly killed. pic.twitter.com/4jBXrNcRJO

— Trevor Ball (@Easybakeovensz) March 8, 2026

On Feb 28, Day 1 of the joint US-Israel attack on Iran, hundreds of missile were launched by Washington and Tel Aviv targeting Iranian regime installations and facilities in Tehran and other major cities.

One of the strikes exploded near the Shajarah Tayyebeh Elementary School.

A close-up of the area of impact of the missile. Image posted on X by @easybakeovensz

The strike, which had the highest reported civilian death toll since the war began, swiftly came under staunch criticism from the United Nations and human rights monitors

US, Israel's response to Iran school strike

Iran blamed Israel and the US for the blast.

At a Pentagon press briefing Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, "All I can say is that we're investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets. But we're taking a look and investigating that."

READ | Evidence Suggests Deadly Blast At Iranian School Was Likely A US Airstrike

Israel has denied conducting the strike, though on Saturday Tel Aviv was blamed by Trump.

"We think it was done by Iran. Because they are very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever," the US President told reporters aboard Air Force One.

READ | "They Have No Accuracy": Trump Blames Iran For Deadly School Strike

But multiple analysis, including one by the Associated Press, suggests it was an American strike. The biggest tell, AP argued, was that the US military had launched an 'assessment".

Pentagon protocol states an 'assessment' is launched in case of initial determination the US military may have caused harm to civilians. Also, a government official who asked not to be named told AP the strike was "likely (by the) US". When asked, CENTCOM chief Captain Tim Hawkins said, "It would be inappropriate to comment given incident is under investigation."

The school is adjacent to a walled compound labeled on maps as the Seyyed Al-Shohada Cultural Complex of the Guard, which included a pharmacy, gym and sports field.

Targeting schools is a clear violation of international laws governing armed conflict, said Elise Baker, a senior staff lawyer at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based nonprofit think tank.