The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said it had identified 239 of those killed in Israeli strikes as civilians and 126 as security personnel.

The group, which also provided detailed casualty figures during 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports against a network of sources it has developed in the country.

Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimised casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people killed and 1277 others wounded.

Shops have been closed across Iran’s capital, Tehran, including in its famed Grand Bazaar, as people wait in gas lines and pack roads leading out of the city to escape the onslaught.

AP