Iran School Strike Kills 168 as US-Israeli War Enters Sixth Day

[00:00] Peter Rowan: This is Neural Newscast. [00:03] Peter Rowan: It is Thursday, March 5th, 2026. [00:07] Peter Rowan: Here is what matters this morning. [00:11] Peter Rowan: From Neural Newscast, I'm Peter Rowan. [00:14] Peter Rowan: And I'm Hena Whitmore. [00:16] Peter Rowan: An elementary school in southern Iran was destroyed by three missiles on Saturday. [00:22] Peter Rowan: The strike killed at least 168 people. [00:26] Peter Rowan: The strike on the Shajare-Tayabe school in Minab has become a focal point for grief and outrage as the war enters its sixth day. [00:36] Peter Rowan: Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that U.S. forces would not deliberately target a school. [00:44] Peter Rowan: The Defense Department is currently investigating the incident. [00:48] Peter Rowan: Local officials noted that the school facility was built on a revolutionary guard base. [00:53] Peter Rowan: That base reportedly closed 15 years ago. [00:57] Peter Rowan: Beyond the school strike, the human rights group H-R-A-N-A reports that civilian deaths in Iran have reached 1,114 since the conflict began. [01:09] Peter Rowan: In Lebanon, Israeli forces have expanded their operations to target Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs of Beirut. [01:18] Peter Rowan: The Israel Defense Forces issued evacuation orders for southern Beirut this morning. [01:24] Peter Rowan: The orders caused massive traffic jams as residents fled the capital. [01:28] Peter Rowan: There has also been a significant escalation at sea. [01:32] Peter Rowan: A U.S. submarine sank the Iranian warship Iris Denna in the Indian Ocean. [01:38] Peter Rowan: Defense Secretary Pete Heggseth confirmed the sinking on Wednesday. [01:43] Peter Rowan: He stated that 87 sailors were killed off the coast of Sri Lanka. [01:48] Peter Rowan: Meanwhile, Iran has retaliated with strikes on several Gulf states that are allied with the United States. [01:55] Peter Rowan: The United Arab Emirates and Qatar both reported missile and drone attacks today. [02:01] Peter Rowan: The UAE says most were successfully intercepted. [02:05] Peter Rowan: European nations are increasing their military presence in the Mediterranean, [02:10] Peter Rowan: following drone incidents at a British base in Cyprus. [02:14] Peter Rowan: The United Kingdom, France, and Spain are deploying warships to the area. [02:20] Peter Rowan: This follows an Iranian drone crash at the RAF base in Akratiri. [02:25] Peter Rowan: Here is what else we are watching. [02:28] Peter Rowan: First, the formal results of the U.S. investigation into the Minab school strike. [02:33] Peter Rowan: We are also following reports from Azerbaijan. [02:37] Peter Rowan: Officials there claim Iranian drones struck a site near a school in its western territory. [02:43] Peter Rowan: Finally, we are monitoring the deployment of the Royal Navy warship to Cyprus [02:49] Peter Rowan: as it prepares to take up its position. [02:51] Peter Rowan: From Neural Newscast, I'm Peter Rowan. [02:54] Peter Rowan: And I'm Hannah Whitmore. Thank you for listening. [02:58] Announcer: Neural Newscast is AI-Assisted, Human Reviewed. [03:02] Announcer: View our AI Transparency Policy at NeuralNewscast.com. [03:08] Hannah Whitmore: Neural Newscast uses artificial intelligence in content creation with human editorial review prior to publication. [03:15] Hannah Whitmore: While we strive for factual, unbiased reporting, AI-assisted content may occasionally contain errors. [03:21] Hannah Whitmore: Verify critical information with trusted sources. [03:24] Hannah Whitmore: Learn more at neuralnewscast.com.