US-Israeli Strikes Destroy Tehran Synagogue, Kill Dozens Across Iran
By Sabiu Abdullahi
A synagogue in Tehran was “completely destroyed” following United States-Israeli airstrikes, Iranian media reported, as overnight attacks across Iran left more than a dozen dead.
“According to preliminary information, the Rafi-Nia Synagogue … was completely destroyed in this morning’s attacks,” reported Shargh newspaper on Tuesday.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency said the synagogue collapsed after an adjacent residential building in central Tehran was targeted. Video footage showed civil defence workers amid the rubble, with Hebrew-language books scattered on the ground.
The report added that narrow streets around the attacked building caused significant damage to the exterior and interior of neighboring structures. There was no immediate confirmation of casualties at the synagogue.
In a video shared on Telegram by Iran’s official IRIB News, Homayoun Sameh, a Jewish representative in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, said: “the Zionist regime showed no mercy to this community during the Jewish holidays and targeted one of our ancient and holy synagogues. Unfortunately, during this attack, the synagogue building was completely destroyed and our Torah scrolls were left under the rubble.”
Judaism is among Iran’s legally recognised minority religions, and the country has a small Jewish population, though many fled after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Shargh described the synagogue as “one of the most important places for Khorasan Jews to gather and celebrate.”
The strikes were part of a series of US-Israeli attacks overnight. Local media reported at least 15 people killed across Iran. Mehr stated that six bodies were recovered from rubble in Pardis, east of Tehran, while officials confirmed nine fatalities in an Israeli air attack on a residential area in Shahriar, west of Tehran province.