A US airstrike on an Iranian elementary school building killed hundreds of children, including scores of elementary-school-aged kids, amid a massive aerial campaign by the US and Israel. The incident occurred around 10:45 am local time on February 28th, when the US and Israel started their operations.
According to people familiar with the strike, the school building was mistakenly targeted due to an intelligence error. One person said that the building had been identified as a factory and was approved for a strike. Another source stated that there was an arms depot target in the same area, but it’s unclear if the US military hit the school by mistake or had incorrect intel.
Israel claims not to have been involved in the strike, and two Israeli officials told The Washington Post that their country did not discuss the targeting with Israel Defense Forces. However, a Pentagon investigation found that the US was at fault, citing outdated targeting data as the possible cause of the mistake.
The school building was previously part of an Iranian naval base but had been walled off since 2015 and added separate entrances in mid-2015 to early 2016. The complex’s layout changed again in 2022, with additional walls separating a medical clinic from other surrounding buildings.
Human Rights Watch has called for a war crime investigation into the attack. A US defense official stated that schools in Iran were being used to launch attacks by the Iranian government, which is a claim denied by experts and contradicted by evidence showing civilian casualties.
The incident has raised questions about the use of AI in military operations and its potential role in the strike. Both countries have leveraged AI technology to mass process intelligence and identify potential targets, enabling their militaries to destroy thousands of sites in days. However, the US and Israel’s use of AI in this conflict remains unclear.
The Pentagon has faced criticism for its handling of the incident, with experts warning that relying on AI without proper vetting could lead to civilian casualties and collateral damage. A former senior defense official cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the role of AI in the attack.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/11/us-strike-iran-elementary-school-ai-target-list