Death Toll Rises to 24 in Israeli Airstrike on Iranian Girls' School; Regional Tensions Escalate

Tehran. The conflict between Iran and Israel has taken a very dire and inhumane turn. The death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a primary girls' school in the city of Minab, Hormozgan province in southern Iran, has reached 24.

Although five deaths were previously reported, the Iranian news agency Fars confirmed that the death toll has sharply increased after more bodies were recovered from the rubble. The heat of the war has also spread to neighboring Bahrain. Bahrain's Ministry of Interior has begun evacuating residents of the Juffair area, home to a US naval base, to safer locations.

Thick smoke was seen in the sky following an Iranian attack on that military base. The administration has directed citizens to fully cooperate with security forces and vacate the risk-prone areas. Panic has spread in Bahrain after US military installations in the Gulf region became targets for Iran. Meanwhile, Russia has warned the United States and Israel to immediately cease attacks on Iran.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement demanding that the situation be returned to a political and diplomatic path. Russia deemed this move by the US and Israel irresponsible and urged the international community to evaluate it impartially. Russia also clarified its readiness to seek a peaceful resolution based on international law and mutual respect.

Other countries around the world have also strongly condemned this war. Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide rejected Israel's claim of a 'pre-emptive' strike, stating it violates international law.

He argued that such an attack requires an immediate and imminent threat, which was not apparent. Belgium expressed sorrow that the innocent people of Iran are paying the price for the Iranian government's choices, while Pakistan strongly condemned the unnecessary attack on Iran and called for an immediate return to diplomatic negotiations.