At least 40 people were killed in a missile attack on a girls’ school in southern Iran after Israel and the United States began striking the country on Saturday, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

"This school was a direct target of this attack," the Tasnim news agency reported, citing the province's deputy governor, adding that rescue operations and debris removal were ongoing.

The incident occurred in Minab county in Hormozgan province, near the Gulf coast.

At least 45 others were wounded in the attack.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has a base in the city.