Three members of the same family were killed and two children injured in a US air strike on a residential building in southern Iran early Thursday, according to Iranian state media.

The official IRNA news agency, citing Hormozgan Deputy Governor Ahmad Nafisi, reported that the strike hit a house in the Chah Tangu neighbourhood on Qeshm Island.

Search and debris-clearing operations at the site have since been completed.

Nafisi said those killed included a father, a mother and one of their children, while the couple’s two other children survived the attack and were taken to hospital for medical treatment.

The reported strike came as the United States launched what it described as a “heavy wave” of attacks against Iran.

The US military has repeatedly said it does not target civilians.

In a statement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces carried out the strikes in response to attempted missile attacks targeting US military personnel stationed in the Middle East.

CENTCOM said that the US struck dozens of targets including “military command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defence sites, and maritime capabilities.”

There was no immediate response from the US military on the reports of deaths.