U.S. PrSM Strike Kills 21 Civilians in Iranian City

On February 28, the first day of the United States' military campaign against Iran, a U.S. strike hit a sports hall and an adjacent elementary school in the southern Iranian city of Lamerd, killing at least 21 civilians, including children, according to Iranian officials and local reports. The attack, which occurred amid joint U.S.-Israeli operations, targeted sites near an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps compound but caused extensive damage to civilian structures.

Analyses of video footage and aftermath images by weapons experts identified the weapon as the Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM, a short-range ballistic system developed by Lockheed Martin. The missile, which completed prototype testing in July of the previous year, detonated mid-air above the targets, dispersing tungsten pellets over a wide area. This design produced the pockmarked damage visible on the sports hall, school buildings, playgrounds, and nearby residential streets. A U.S. official confirmed the PrSM's use in the strike, marking its combat debut. The weapon has a range of about 400 miles and was likely launched from a base in an unnamed Gulf state, as acknowledged by U.S. Central Command.