Synagogue Destroyed in Tehran Amid Overnight Attacks

A historic synagogue in Tehran was obliterated, and multiple fatalities occurred across Iran following coordinated strikes.

Following an overnight assault, the Rafi-Nia Synagogue in Tehran’s central district was rendered completely unusable by destructive forces. Iranian media outlets, including Shargh, reported that the destruction occurred after a residential building adjacent to the synagogue was targeted. Images circulating on Telegram, released by IRIB News, depicted civil defense personnel navigating the extensive debris field and showcased scattered Hebrew texts. Witnesses described the narrow streets surrounding the affected zone as contributing to the widespread damage of neighboring structures, with reports indicating “severe damage” to both the exterior and interior of buildings. The attack, occurring during what Jewish representatives described as a period of heightened sensitivity surrounding the Jewish holidays, was characterized by the Zionist regime’s alleged lack of compassion toward the community. Homayoun Sameh, a representative of the Jewish community within Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the synagogue, stating that the building held significant historical importance for the Khorasan Jewish population and that valuable Torah scrolls were buried beneath the rubble. The Jewish community in Iran, a legally recognized minority, numbers approximately a few thousand individuals, many of whom emigrated following the 1979 revolution. The attacks, part of a larger series of coordinated strikes, resulted in the deaths of at least fifteen people across Iran. Rescue efforts unearthed six bodies from the wreckage in Pardis, a city east of Tehran, while another nine fatalities were attributed to an Israeli air strike on a residential area in Shahriar, west of Tehran province.