Not less than 148 people were reportedly killed after a strike hit a school in Southern Iran on Saturday.

“At least 148 people have died after a reported strike hit a school in southern Iran,” the BBC reported, citing Iranian government officials.

The girls’ school affected by the strike was located near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base in Minab. The IRGC was a target for the U.S. and Israeli forces.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had confirmed the death of children in the attack on Saturday. 

“The destroyed building is a primary school for girls in the south of Iran. It was bombed in broad daylight, when packed with young pupils,” Mr Araghchi said, sharing a photo of the school.

He added, ” Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone. These crimes against the Iranian People will not go unanswered.”

While the Iranian government has blamed the U.S. and Israeli forces for the death toll in its Southern region, the U.S. military’s Central Command (Centcom) said it was looking into reports of the incident.

However, Israel’s military said it was “not aware” of any Israel Defense Forces operations in the affected area. 

On Saturday, the U.S. and Israel launched a coordinated attack on Iran, killing the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s state-owned mediaon Sunday confirmed that Mr Khamenei was killed in a U.S.-Israel attack on Saturday, while a 40-day mourning period has been declared for the leader who reigned over Iran for over three decades.

The 86-year-old supreme leader assumed power in the Islamic Republic after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.