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West Asia Desk
US Strikes Force Evacuation of 211 Patients at Ahvaz Pediatric Cancer Hospital
Verification status: Core evacuation event (211 patients, hospital director quote) corroborated across Iranian state media (IRNA, IRIB, Press TV) and independent Western outlets (CNN, CBS). Broader casualty/injury tolls remain attributed solely to Iranian health ministry statements pending independent confirmation.
Overnight on July 15, 2026, US airstrikes hit targets near Shahid Baghaei Hospital in Ahvaz, Khuzestan province — a real, operational specialized pediatric oncology and hematology center. The hospital itself was not directly hit, but shockwaves and proximity of nearby strikes compromised the facility, forcing an emergency evacuation. Hospital director Dr. Majid Bouazar confirmed to Iran's IRNA that 211 hospitalized patients, many undergoing chemotherapy, had to be relocated to other medical centers; the oncology department was temporarily taken out of service. The evacuation is corroborated independently by CNN and CBS News, both citing IRIB and Iran's health ministry alongside the hospital director's own statement — this is not solely an Iranian state media claim. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei condemned the strike as a 'cowardly war crime.' Casualty and injury figures cited by Iran's health ministry (300+ injured, 35 killed as of July 15 midday) are attributed to that source and not independently verified.