US Investigates Deadly Attack on Iranian Schoolgirl, Israel Denies Involvement

Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Iran after being hit by an attack on Saturday. (Twitter/@araghchi)

JAKARTA - The United States said they were "investigating" an air strike on a girls' primary school in southern Iran that Iranian authorities said killed 168 students, while Israel denied involvement in the attack.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that Washington was "investigating" the incident.

"All I can say is that we are investigating it," said Defense Minister Hegseth when asked about the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls' School in the city of Minab, Iran, launched Anadolu (5/3)

The Pentagon chief added that the US military "never targets civilian sites."

Meanwhile, Israel denied its involvement in the deadly attack.

Military spokesman Nadav Shoshani told US public broadcaster NPR on Monday that the Israeli army was not aware of any operation in the area.

"At this time we are not aware of any IDF (army) operations in the area," Shoshani said.

"I don't know who is responsible for the bombing," he added.

Previously, Iranian officials said the school was hit in an attack last Saturday, the day the US and Israel launched an attack on the Mullah's State.

Governor Minab Mohammad Radmehr said the attack hit the school directly as classes were underway, killing girls aged between 7 and 12. The building was largely destroyed, and part of its concrete roof collapsed on the classroom.

Iranian officials said 168 people were killed and at least 95 were wounded in the attack.

Iran accused the US and Israel of carrying out the attack, while the Israeli military said it was unaware of any Israeli or US attack in the area.