ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US airstrikes on Iran have killed more than 50 people and injured 500 others since their resumption, the health ministry said Saturday, adding that two children under the age of 18 were among those killed.

In US strikes since June 28, “more than 500 people were injured and over 50 were martyred,” head of the health ministry’s public relations Hossein Kermanpour wrote on X.

“Among the martyrs, 5 women and 2 children and adolescents under the age of 18 were seen, and among the injured, 32 women and 18 children and adolescents. So far, 28 surgeries have been performed, 460 people have been discharged, and 37 are still hospitalized,” he added.

The renewed tit-for-tat strikes started after CENTCOM alleged that Iran had “blatantly attacked” a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. US forces began striking Iranian military targets early Sunday, hitting around 140 targets in the first wave.

Since then, the US has carried out daily strikes largely targeting the country’s south near the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran has resumed targeting countries hosting US military bases and also attacked vessels for allegedly failing to provide prior notification before transiting the waterway.

On Thursday, US airstrikes targeted vital infrastructure in Iranian territory, including five bridges and several cities, which resulted in dozens of casualties.

At least seven individuals were killed in strikes on two bridges in the Hormozgan province, near Bandar Khamir, state media reported on Friday.