20 women volleyball players killed after US missile strike hits Iran gym
Iranian media report that a US air strike hit a gym in Lamerd, southern Iran, killing 20 women volleyball players.
Iran’s local television station Al Mayadeen reported that the United States launched an air strike targeting a gym in the city of Lamerd, in Fars province in southern Iran. The report said the attack killed 20 women volleyball players, amid escalating military conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) issued a statement saying it was shocked and deeply concerned by reports of the deaths of youth volleyball athletes as unrest in the Middle East intensifies.
It expressed its deepest condolences to the victims’ families and to all those affected.
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) said children were inside the building when it was hit. Tasnim news agency reported that the strikes also hit at least four other sites in the city.
Separately, Iran said the US-Israel air strikes had killed more than 200 people and injured nearly 750 nationwide, adding that 220 rescue teams had been deployed to assist those affected in impacted areas.
Earlier, Iranian media reported at least 153 deaths, including children, after a strike hit a school in southern Iran, blaming the United States and Israel.
The all-girls school is located in Minab, near a base belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has reportedly been targeted before.
Since Saturday, at least 201 people have been killed and 747 injured in air strikes across Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).
