GENEVA - The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child insisted Wednesday that children must be protected during the war in the Middle East,...

highlighting an alleged air strike on an Iranian school. Iran has blamed Israel and the United States for the strike on the school in the Iranian city of Minab on the first day of the war on Saturday, giving a toll of more than 150 dead. Neither the United States nor Israel have confirmed the attack, and AFP has been unable to independently verify the toll or visit the site. "The committee is alarmed by reports of strikes on civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, which have injured and traumatised children, and claimed many young lives," it said. "This is a reminder that children are among the most vulnerable in armed conflicts, and must never be treated as collateral damage." According to state media, Iran on Tuesday held funerals for at least 165 people, including students, killed in the alleged strike. State television carried images showing a large crowd of mourners in Minab weeping over what appeared to be bodies wrapped in white shrouds. (Bssnews)