‘My life is buried here’: Iranian man whose 12 family members were killed

A missile strike is an attack in which missiles are launched toward a target. Their explosive warheads release intense blast and heat when they hit or detonate nearby. In a residential area, that force can break walls, destroy staircases, start fires, and bring entire floors down. This matters because homes contain civilians who have little protection or warning.

Mirzaei heard a missile whistle when he was five minutes from home. The first missile struck, followed by five more. When he arrived, the building was burning, and only its skeleton remained. The staircase had disappeared, and neighbours were trapped under rubble. The blast and falling debris prevented him from reaching the second floor where his wife lived.

The attack killed twelve members of Mirzaei’s family. He searched the rubble for twenty days, finding nothing that could restore his home or family. The account shows how one strike can cause immediate deaths and lasting displacement, grief, and isolation.

The building was in Tehran, Iran, and it was attacked on Monday, March 9, 2026. It was not simply a temporary shelter. Mirzaei said his grandfather and his father’s uncle had built it, then divided its apartments among their children. Several generations of the family lived together or nearby.

Mirzaei left home at about 1:00 in the afternoon to check in at work. Five minutes before he returned, he heard the first missile. Five more missiles then struck the home. When he arrived, everything was burning. The staircase was gone, and neighbours were trapped beneath the rubble. The Red Crescent helped rescue people from the first floor.

The building was destroyed in a fraction of a second. Mirzaei searched its rubble and missile remnants for twenty days, hoping to find survivors. The site was both his family home and the place where he had hoped his future child would be born. Its destruction erased that family history and future plan.

Twelve members of Hamed Mirzaei’s family died in the attack. The victims included his wife, Mohadeseh; his sister-in-law; his father and mother; his grandfather and grandmother; his aunt’s husband and her daughter; his uncle; his father’s cousin; that cousin’s wife; and their child. The deaths destroyed nearly his entire extended family.

Mirzaei had been married to Mohadeseh for a year. She was 26, and the couple had been preparing to start a family. His sister-in-law was visiting their home when the missiles struck. Other relatives lived in the family building, which had been built and divided among generations.

Mirzaei said he was an only child but had always believed his large extended family would remain beside him as he grew older. After the bombing, he described himself as the only one left. The scale of the loss explains why his grief has intensified rather than eased with time.

The immediate consequences were physical destruction, deaths, fire, and rubble. Mirzaei could not reach the second floor because the staircase had collapsed. Neighbours were trapped, while twelve members of his family disappeared beneath the destroyed building. He stayed at the site instead of leaving, hoping rescuers would find survivors.

For twenty days, he returned daily and searched through rubble and remnants of missiles and explosions. His wife, parents, grandparents, in-laws, cousins, uncle, and children were eventually understood to have died. His home, inherited through generations, was wiped out along with the people who made it meaningful.

The long-term consequences are emotional and social. Mirzaei had expected to grow old with his extended family and start a family with Mohadeseh. Instead, he says he is the only one left. He reports that grief has not eased and that he feels worse as each day passes, showing how the attack continues to shape his daily life.

Civilians are especially vulnerable during air attacks because homes are occupied by people who are not taking part in fighting. Residents may be asleep, working, visiting relatives, or unable to reach shelter quickly. Apartment buildings also place many households close together. A single explosion can affect several floors and neighbouring homes at once.

Mirzaei’s building held members of his extended family, and his sister-in-law was visiting when the attack occurred. The first missile struck as he was returning from work. Five more missiles hit the home. The blast destroyed the staircase, trapped neighbours under rubble, and set the building on fire. Those inside could not simply leave through ordinary routes.

The account shows why attacks in populated areas can have effects far beyond the initial impact. Survivors may lose homes, relatives, belongings, and support networks together. Mirzaei’s family building had connected generations for years. Its destruction therefore caused immediate deaths and a lasting collapse of his family’s home and community.

A joint attack generally means two countries participate in the same military operation or pursue a shared attack. Their involvement could include coordinated strikes, shared planning, intelligence, weapons, or separate actions aimed at the same target. The phrase identifies the United States and Israel as the attacking parties, but it does not by itself explain each country’s exact role.

In this account, the attack is described as a United States-Israeli attack on a residential building in Tehran. Mirzaei said six missiles struck his family home on March 9, 2026. The article does not state which country launched any particular missile, who selected the building, or what military objective was intended.

That missing detail matters when responsibility is assessed. Investigators would need evidence about orders, targeting, weapons, and each actor’s contribution. The article establishes the reported attack’s label and its human consequences, but it does not provide enough information to separate the operational roles of the United States and Israel.

International humanitarian law requires parties to distinguish between civilians and military objectives. Attacks may target military objectives, but not civilians or civilian objects as such. They must also be proportionate, meaning expected civilian harm cannot be excessive compared with the concrete military advantage anticipated. Attackers must take feasible precautions, including verifying targets and choosing methods that reduce civilian harm.

These rules matter in populated areas because homes, families, and military sites may be close together. In Mirzaei’s case, six missiles struck a residential building, killing twelve relatives and trapping neighbours. The article does not establish whether the building had a military purpose, what target was intended, or what precautions were taken.

Possible violations are investigated by competent national or international bodies. Investigators can examine satellite images, remnants, medical and death records, communications, targeting data, videos, and witness testimony. They must establish what happened, who planned or carried out the attack, what was known beforehand, and whether legal duties were followed. The article itself does not report such an investigation.