The US military struck Qeshm Island in southern Iran with a large-scale bomb on Thursday night that allegedly hit a family home, according to a New York Times report on Friday.
Iranian officials claimed that the strike had hit a family home, killing a couple and their two-year-old son. The other two children survived the strike, the officials added.
A NYT analysis of videos and satellite imagery found that the weapon used was likely to be a 2,000-pound (roughly 900kg) bomb, one of the largest conventional bombs used by the US military.
Weapons experts examined the size of the crater and munitions fragments found on Qeshm Island after the strike, and determined that the Mark-84 bomb may have been used. The NYT added that the strike's location and timing were consistent with when and where US forces were operating.
A US official told The Jerusalem Post that the scale of the US strikes on Iran on Thursday was "about twice the size of the previous night," adding that the strikes were "wide, extensive, and impactful."
US CENTCOM is investigating reports of civilian casualties
Iranian officials told the NYT that approximately 20 neighbouring families were displaced by the strike, while footage showed debris that has landed over 200 feet away from the crater.
No military sites were located near the home, an NYT investigation alleged, and Iranian authorities didn't report any military casualties following the strike.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it was looking into reports of civilian casualties, but didn't say what the intended target was, what munitions were used, or what precautions were taken to protect civilians.
“We are aware of the reports and looking into them,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesman, said. “The US military never targets civilians.”
The NYT said it had corroborated details in bystander and news footage with satellite imagery to pinpoint the location of the strike and determine the size of the crater.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.