Among the Iranians injured in U.S. airstrikes since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, teenagers in the prime of their youth, passionate about sports and music, have suffered severe physical injuries from missile fragments and projectiles, forever changing what should have been their beautiful lives.
According to the Iranian government, on Feb 28, the U.S. military used new-type precision-strike missiles in combat for the first time, attacking several residential areas and civilian facilities, including a city gymnasium, in the southern city of Lamerd, killing more than 20 people and injuring over 100.
A reporter from the China Media Group (CMG) visited Lamerd on Saturday to survey the sites hit by U.S. missiles, in what marked the first time Iran has permitted foreign journalists to film such sites since the outbreak of the war.
At the center of the explosion, the road surface and the walls of many buildings bore marks of projectile impacts.
Missile fragments and projectiles also injured residents, including teenagers. One of them is 12-year-old Amir. The explosion severely damaged the bones and nerves in his right leg. Although he has undergone multiple surgeries, projectile fragments remain embedded in his body.
"We are innocent. They (the U.S.) should not attack us. We have nothing to do with the United States and pose no threat to it. We were outside playing football, and the girls were inside playing volleyball," Amir said.
"What I should have been worried about was my child's academic progress at school, or the football lessons he was interested in. But now things have come to this: I have to bandage the wound on my hand with sterile gauze in the hospital for fear that my child might get infected and end up having his leg amputated," said Javad, Amir's father.
Vahideh, a 13-year-old girl, suffered the same fate. A lively girl with a passion for music, she was struck by missile fragments in her head and neck. She now struggles to speak for extended periods, and her right hand still cannot move.
"I don't remember it very clearly. I was sitting outside holding my bag when the explosion knocked me down. I saw the bone exposed on my hand, and my hand was bleeding heavily. My friends were there too, and my teacher was also bleeding. I fainted when I saw the ambulance," Vahideh said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a press conference in Lamerd on Saturday that U.S. acts of aggression against civilians constitute war crimes and a blatant violation of international law. Iran has obtained relevant technical and legal evidence and will hold the United States accountable for its crimes in the international community.
But the war continues. According to Iranian sources on Saturday, two loud explosions were heard in the direction of Qeshm Island in southern Iran.
US strikes shatter Iranian teens' once-promising lives
