At least 639 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Iran in one week, according to a US-based human rights group. Another 1,329 are said to have been wounded.
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The figures from the Washington-based Human Rights Activists apply to all of Iran. The group says it has identified 263 civilians among those killed, at least 154 of whom were members of the country's security forces.
The group cross-checks local reports from Iran against the source network they have built up in the country. Human Rights Activists also published detailed figures on the number of people killed and injured during the protests after Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police in 2022.
Hitting civilians
Iran has not provided regular updates on casualty figures during the ongoing war and has underreported such figures in the past. In its latest update on Monday, the death toll was reported at 244, including women and children. 1,277 were wounded, according to official figures.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says the attacks are targeting military leaders, government officials and nuclear scientists, but missiles and drones have also hit apartment buildings and high-rise buildings.
The New York Times has reviewed video footage, photos and testimonies documenting civilian casualties and bombed apartment buildings.
Overburdened emergency rooms
The newspaper has spoken to over 50 people in cities such as Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Mashhad and Sanandaj, where families, friends and health workers tell of destruction and loss.
– There is a lot of focus on the military targets, but little – in fact nothing – is said about the civilian victims, who far outnumber those affected in targeted killings, says journalist and human rights activist Jila Baniyagoub in Tehran to the newspaper.
Four doctors, including the director of a major hospital in Tehran, said emergency rooms were overwhelmed. On Monday, the Iranian Health Ministry ordered all medical personnel in the country to remain at their posts due to the urgent need.
