JAKARTA - The air raids carried out by Israel and the United States (US) on a fitness center in Lamerd City, Fars Province, southern Iran, killed 20 female volleyball athletes.
The information was conveyed by the Iranian television channel, Al Mayadeen, citing local authorities. The report confirmed that this incident occurred on Saturday, February 28, 2026, when the escalation of the military conflict between Israel, Iran, and the United States first broke out.
"A total of 20 volleyball players died as a result of Israeli aggression aimed at a sports building in the city of Lamerd, Fars Province," said a report quoted by local authorities by Al Mayadeen.
Initial reports said that more than 15 people were killed before the figure was updated. The IRIB news agency said there were children in the building when the attack occurred.
Another report from the Tashim news agency said four other facilities in the city were also targeted. In other developments, an attack on a girls' special elementary school in southern Iran also killed at least 85 people.
The Iranian Red Crescent said that so far more than 200 people have been killed and 747 others injured as a result of the Israeli and US attacks, so that as many as 220 emergency response teams have been deployed to the affected locations.
In the morning on the same day, Israel first launched an attack on a number of targets in Iran. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, then announced the start of a military operation against Iran, which destroyed military installations as well as the residence of the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, who was claimed to have died.
In response, Iran fired missiles at Israel and attacked the maintenance center of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. They also launched attacks on four US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, prompting the United States to evacuate some personnel from Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) expressed its shock and deep concern over reports of the deaths of a number of young volleyball players in Iran due to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.
The organization expressed condolences to the victims' families and all parties affected by the crisis. The FIVB said tens of thousands of members of the volleyball community in the region are now displaced and face an uncertain future.
"The FIVB's current focus is to ensure the safety of all volleyball athletes, coaches, staff, and volunteers based in or visiting the region, as well as those now trapped in the conflict," the FIVB wrote.
The FIVB has formed a special task force to accelerate this humanitarian work directly. They are working with governments, NGOs, and other relevant bodies.
"The FIVB strongly believes in the importance of collaboration, dialogue, peace, and solidarity. In line with these values, the FIVB calls on the international community to help ease tensions and find peaceful solutions," the statement continued.
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