TEHRAN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed, and 41 others injured in separate U.S.-Israeli strikes in two Iranian provinces, officials said Tuesday.
Four people were killed and 26 wounded early Tuesday in an attack on the administrative building of a religious site in Iran's northwestern Zanjan province, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
The strike occurred at about 5 a.m. local time (0130 GMT) and targeted the office building of the Hosseinieh Azam Zanjan mosque, Mehr quoted Ali Sadeghi, the province's deputy governor, as saying.
Sadeghi said the wounded were taken to hospitals and that debris removal and search operations were underway. He added that the attack damaged the site's inn and library, as well as nearby shops.
In a separate incident, Hassan Qamari, deputy governor of Iran's central Markazi province, said 11 people were killed and 15 others injured in a U.S.-Israeli strike on a residential area in Mahallat County, Mehr reported Tuesday. He said the attack took place Monday night and that three children and two women were among the victims.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint strikes on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets across the Middle East. ■
