Iran’s Civilian Death Toll Nears 1,500 Amid U.S.-Israeli Strikes

(MENAFN) The human cost of the US-Israeli war on Iran has reached a devastating milestone, with a new report documenting nearly 1,500 civilian deaths in just under a month of hostilities — including hundreds of children, dozens of hospitals, and millions displaced from their homes.

The Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), an independent organization specializing in documenting and verifying human rights violations inside the country, released its findings Friday, reporting that at least 1,443 civilians have been killed by US-Israeli airstrikes between February 28 and March 23. At least 217 of those killed were children.

The single deadliest day of the conflict, according to HRA, was March 9 — when a barrage of nearly 400 strikes across Iran claimed at least 252 civilian lives in a matter of hours.

London-based nonprofit Airwars independently recorded at least 130 additional accounts of civilian injuries resulting from the airstrikes, flagging what it described as "including attacks on healthcare, education facilities, and residential areas."

— Cities, Hospitals, and Schools in the Crosshairs —
The scale of destruction catalogued by HRA paints a stark picture of urban devastation. The group confirmed that 37 percent of verified attacks struck Tehran's urban areas, with damage recorded at 60 hospitals or medical centers, 44 schools, and 129 residential buildings. Government data, meanwhile, indicate that more than 16,000 homes have sustained damage. The organization also verified 543 strikes against dual-use infrastructure, flagging "including energy and transport systems essential to civilian life."

Beyond the physical destruction, HRA reported that approximately 3.2 million people have been uprooted from their homes, citing figures from the UN.

The organization further raised alarm over what it described as a parallel crackdown on Iranian civilians since the war began, documenting "how Iranian civilians have faced intensified domestic repression since Feb. 28, including expanded arbitrary arrests (at least 1,830 as of March 19), restrictive security controls, and inflammatory official rhetoric threatening arrest and even death to perceived opponents."

Compounding civilian vulnerability, HRA warned, has been a near-total information blackout — with internet connectivity collapsing to roughly 1 percent of normal levels, generating estimated economic losses of $37 million per day.

With the conflict now approaching its second month, HRA said it expects the figures for civilian deaths, injuries, and infrastructure damage to continue rising.

The broader regional conflict erupted on February 28 when the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran. Tehran has since retaliated with successive waves of drones and missiles targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf states hosting American military installations — inflicting further casualties and damage while continuing to disrupt global markets and aviation.

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