Tehran Synagogue Levelled by Israeli Bombs
Iran's Jewish community has condemned the destruction of a synagogue in Tehran following US-Israeli strikes, declaring its support for the Iranian state and denouncing attacks on both its religious sites and the country.
In a statement carried by Iran's Mehr news agency, the community said it condemned the targeting of the Rafi'-Nia synagogue in central Tehran, which it said had been destroyed, as well as wider US-Israeli attacks.
"We, the Jews of Iran, condemn the brutal attacks carried out by the American-Zionist enemy against our dear homeland and the Rafi'-Nia synagogue," the statement said, adding that the community stood "alongside the people and the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran" and would defend the country "until our last breath".
Iranian media reported earlier on Tuesday that the synagogue had been "completely destroyed" during the overnight strikes, which also killed more than a dozen people across the country.
According to the semi-official Mehr news agency, the synagogue was hit after an adjacent residential building in central Tehran was targeted, causing extensive damage to surrounding structures.
Footage from the scene showed civil defence workers searching through rubble, with Hebrew-language religious texts scattered among the debris.
Homayoun Sameh, a Jewish representative in Iran's parliament, said the attack took place during Jewish holidays and described the synagogue as an "ancient and holy" site. He said Torah scrolls had been left buried under the rubble following the strike.
The Rafi'-Nia synagogue is considered one of the main gathering places for Jews from Iran's northeastern Khorasan region.
Judaism is a legally recognised minority religion in Iran, with a community of between 8,000 and 15,000 people remaining in the country despite many emigrating following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The community maintains around 30 synagogues, schools, and kosher facilities mostly in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz
The strike on the synagogue came as part of a wider wave of US-Israeli attacks across Iran overnight. Iranian media reported that at least 15 people were killed, including six in the city of Pardis east of Tehran and nine in Shahriar to the west of the capital.
There were no immediate reports of casualties at the synagogue itself.
Iran's Jewish community has condemned the destruction of a synagogue in Tehran following US-Israeli strikes, declaring its support for the Iranian state and denouncing attacks on both its religious sites and the country.
In a statement carried by Iran's Mehr news agency, the community said it condemned the targeting of the Rafi'-Nia synagogue in central Tehran, which it said had been destroyed, as well as wider US-Israeli attacks.
"We, the Jews of Iran, condemn the brutal attacks carried out by the American-Zionist enemy against our dear homeland and the Rafi'-Nia synagogue," the statement said, adding that the community stood "alongside the people and the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran" and would defend the country "until our last breath".
Iranian media reported earlier on Tuesday that the synagogue had been "completely destroyed" during the overnight strikes, which also killed more than a dozen people across the country.
According to the semi-official Mehr news agency, the synagogue was hit after an adjacent residential building in central Tehran was targeted, causing extensive damage to surrounding structures.
Footage from the scene showed civil defence workers searching through rubble, with Hebrew-language religious texts scattered among the debris.
Homayoun Sameh, a Jewish representative in Iran's parliament, said the attack took place during Jewish holidays and described the synagogue as an "ancient and holy" site. He said Torah scrolls had been left buried under the rubble following the strike.
The Rafi'-Nia synagogue is considered one of the main gathering places for Jews from Iran's northeastern Khorasan region.
Judaism is a legally recognised minority religion in Iran, with a community of between 8,000 and 15,000 people remaining in the country despite many emigrating following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The community maintains around 30 synagogues, schools, and kosher facilities mostly in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz
The strike on the synagogue came as part of a wider wave of US-Israeli attacks across Iran overnight. Iranian media reported that at least 15 people were killed, including six in the city of Pardis east of Tehran and nine in Shahriar to the west of the capital.
There were no immediate reports of casualties at the synagogue itself.
