Bellingcat

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Bellingcat Bellingcat is an independent investigative collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists brought together by a passion for open source research. Founded in 2014, we have pioneered...

Have you solved the latest Bellingcat Challenge yet? Tomorrow, March 11, Bellingcat researcher Peter Barth will try to solve them live at 5pm CEST/12pm EDT on our YouTube channel. GeoPeter, who designed the latest Challenge will join the stream as well! www.youtube.com/channel/UCFl...

Video Shows US Tomahawk Missile Strike Next to Girls’ School in Iran - bellingcat New video footage shows a US Tomahawk missile hitting an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility in Minab, Iran, on Feb 28, showing for the first time that the US struck the area. The footag...

We reported yesterday that footage showed a US Tomahawk missile hitting a facility metres from the school. In the footage, smoke could already be seen rising from the vicinity of the girls’ school. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

Remnants seen in the imagery (left) with reference imagery (right)

We also matched details of the remnants to publicly available imagery of Tomahawk components in the Open Source Munitions Portal (OSMP) @munitionsportal.bsky.social osmp.ngo/model/tomaha...

Geolocation by Bellingcat

Bellingcat verified the images were taken at the site of the school by matching items and landmarks visible in the footage to what can be seen on satellite imagery.

Images published by Iranian state media show remnants of a US Tomahawk missile at a girls’ school in Minab.
It’s not possible to independently verify the provenance of the remnants from this imagery alone. But Bellingcat previously detailed how a Tomahawk missile hit a structure next to the school.

It means we matched visible features in the footage with satellite imagery, solar and mapping data, indicating that it was filmed in the same area/time as the strike. Geolocation does not by itself prove that a video has not been altered, so we treat it as one part of a broader verification process.

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Bellingcat researcher and weapons expert Trevor Ball ( @easybakeovensz.bsky.social ) will be talking to our Discord Server on Thursday about identifying key munitions being used in the Iran-US-Israel war. Join us live at 11am EDT: discord.gg/bellingcat?e...

“Bombs will fall Everywhere”: The American, Israeli and Iranian Weapons Being Deployed in Middle East - bellingcat Bellingcat has been monitoring strikes across the Middle East and has identified a wide variety of weapons that have been used in the conflict so far, including missiles and drones.

Bellingcat has monitored weapons used in the first few days of the war, such as the US Precision Strike Missile, used for the first time in combat and a variant of the Tomahawk missile, previously unknown to the public. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

Bellingcat asked the Israeli Defence Forces what the bomb was. It said it would not be able to provide details regarding the types of munitions it uses.

Image of a bomb with the body of a MK 84 2,000-pound-bomb, but with a red band near the nose, and a US JDAM guidance kit. The image is cropped by Bellingcat to focus on the bomb. Source: Israeli Air Force.

The images appear to show 2,000-pound-class air-delivered bombs fitted with Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits with a red band around the nose. Red is commonly used to denote an incendiary, while yellow indicates high explosive effect.

The Incendiary Bomb Never Seen in Israel Before - bellingcat The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has dropped 5,000 bombs on Iran since the United States and Israel launched an attack last week, according to a statement by the IAF on March 4. Bellingcat has monitored we...

Israeli Air Force images posted on March 3 show a bomb not previously seen in Israeli service, reportedly from jets involved in strikes on Iran. Experts say the bombs appear to have an incendiary component and may be meant to destroy chemical or biological agents.
www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

We want to uncover wrongdoing. We can with your support. Bellingcat is a not-for-profit. Consider donating so we can continue to create impact in 2026. www.bellingcat.com/donate

Video Shows US Tomahawk Missile Strike Next to Girls’ School in Iran - bellingcat New video footage shows a US Tomahawk missile hitting an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility in Minab, Iran, on Feb 28, showing for the first time that the US struck the area. The footag...

Read our analysis of the video showing a US Tomahawk missile strike next to Girls’ School in Iran on February 28 here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

Video Shows US Tomahawk Missile Strike Next to Girls’ School in Iran - bellingcat New video footage shows a US Tomahawk missile hitting an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility in Minab, Iran, on Feb 28, showing for the first time that the US struck the area. The footag...

Read our analysis of the video showing a US Tomahawk missile strike next to Girls’ School in Iran on February 28 here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

Planet Labs satellite imagery shows only two structures within this red cone were damaged, including a clinic. The other structure appears to be an earth covered magazine or bunker.

The red cone superimposed over this image shows the estimated area of impact of the missile visible in the footage. The graphic also shows the position of a clinic, the school and other damaged buildings.

The US is the only participant in the war that is known to have Tomahawk missiles. Israel is not known to have Tomahawk missiles.

A video released by Mehr News, and geolocated by Bellingcat, shows the missile hitting a building near the school. This image shows a comparison between the Tomahawk missile seen in the video and a Tomahawk missile flying over Tehran earlier in the conflict.

Trump Blames Iran for Deadly Strike on Girls’ School President Trump on Saturday blamed Iran for the bombing of a girls’ school in southern Iran, which Iranian officials say killed more than 160 people. “My opinion, based on what I’ve seen—that was done...

The footage appears to contradict President Donald Trump’s claim it was an Iranian missile that hit the school on Feb. 28. www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

New video footage shows a US Tomahawk missile hitting an IRGC facility in Minab, Iran, on Feb 28, showing for the first time that the US struck the area. The footage also shows smoke already rising from the vicinity of the girls’ school, where 175 people were reportedly killed, including children.

We want to uncover wrongdoing. We can with your support. Bellingcat is a not-for-profit. Consider donating so we can continue to create impact in 2026. www.bellingcat.com/donate

You can read our previous reporting tracking the movements of the sanctioned Kinahan cartel here: www.bellingcat.com?s=kinahan

The world is looking for the Kinahan drug lords. We found them Our investigation has obtained images of Daniel and Christy Kinahan living freely in Dubai despite an international manhunt. Why aren’t they in custody?

This investigation is the result of a collaboration with @thetimes.com. You can find their corresponding piece here: www.thetimes.com/world/irelan...

New Footage Shows Wanted Kinahan Cartel Kingpins Post-Sanctions - bellingcat Daniel and Christy Kinahan have been photographed in Dubai, marking the most recent sighting of the wanted crime bosses since the US levied sanctions against the cartel.

Find our investigation here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

Our publishing partner, @thetimes.com confirmed that this man was Christy Kinahan. He was in attendance during the entire six hour live-streamed MMA event.

Left: The shot of Christy Kinahan discovered by Bellingcat in a YouTube clip posted by event organiser 971 FC (edits applied by Bellingcat in Adobe Lightroom: image has been sharpened, and contrast, exposure and clarity increased). Right: A full-length shot of Kinahan, visible in the footage live-streamed to TrillerTV.

Bellingcat analysed footage from the event and found that a man who strongly resembled Christy Kinahan, the founder of the eponymous drug cartel, was also at the fight night.

ALT: Left: Daniel Kinahan, who reportedly tried to “reinvent” himself as a boxing promoter, pictured with Tyson Fury in Dubai in February 2022. Right: Irish pro boxer Jono Carroll, pictured with Kinahan at a boxing event at Dubai’s Emirates Golf Club in February 2022, also attended the 971 FC at Coca-Cola Arena last June. Source: Instagram via The Sun, X / jono_carroll

Daniel Kinahan has been heavily involved in combat sports since the early 2010s. He co-founded MTK Global, a boxing management firm that signed high-profile boxers including former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The firm shut down after the US sanctions were announced in 2022.

ALT: Daniel Kinahan (left) watches a fight with Mounir Lazzez at the 971 FC in Dubai last year (image cropped by Bellingcat). Lazzez has been an outspoken supporter of Kinahan. Source: WeCaptureYou

Daniel Kinahan, identified initially using facial recognition search engine PimEyes, can be seen watching a fight at the 971 Fighting Championship on June 14, 2025 with the event’s founder and former UFC athlete, Mounir “The Sniper” Lazzez.

ALT: Drug cartel leaders Daniel Kinahan (left) and Christy Kinahan (right) at a Dubai sports arena last June. Source: WeCaptureYou, TrillerTV

The images of the father and son narcotraffickers are the first visual proof that the drug cartel's leadership – who fled from Spain to Dubai in 2016 – were still in hiding in the desert city as recently as last summer.