Mahyar Zanghaneh

Their story

The night before, Mehdiar had told his mom he was done being a hall monitor of school. "I'm relieved, Mom," the fifth-grader had said. He just wanted to play during recess like the other kids, not walk around checking on classes.

The next morning, he walked the three minutes to school with his younger brother, Mahaan, like they always did. At around 11 AM, the children were playing when a drone strike hit nearby. Mehdiar became one of the first schoolchildren to lose his life in the attacks.

His mother, Fatemeh Saeedi, was at home about to fry potatoes when she heard the explosion. She ran. When she got to the street, she saw Mahaan coming home. Alone. The looks on the teachers' faces—heavy, tearful—told her everything before she even reached the schoolyard.

Later, the family would retrieve his backpack from the pile of abandoned belongings. Just days before, Mehdiar had written a note that would take on a tragic new meaning. "Look at the names of the alleys and streets where you live," he had written. "There you can see the names of these brave ones and martyrs of the homeland."

He loved football and, despite his young age, had a favorite. He wanted to be like his idol, Alireza Beiranvand.

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Sources and documentation