Religious site razed amid intensifying conflict; community leaders and rights groups condemn attack as civilian and cultural loss.
A historic synagogue in the centre of Tehran was reported to have been completely destroyed in an overnight airstrike carried out by United States and Israeli forces on Tuesday, according to Iranian state media and community representatives. The attack, part of a broader wave of strikes across the Iranian capital, reduced the Rafi-Niya Synagogue-a long-standing place of worship for the city’s Jewish community-to rubble, with surrounding residential buildings also sustaining severe damage.
Synagogue Damaged, Community Reacts:
Iranian outlets including the semi-official Mehr News Agency said the strike occurred in a narrow residential area, where the blast from an adjacent building hit the synagogue and neighbouring homes. Footage circulated by local media showed civil defence workers amid collapsed walls and Hebrew-language books scattered on the ground, underscoring the scale of destruction. There were no immediate independent confirmations of casualties from the attack.
Representatives of Iran’s Jewish community strongly condemned the destruction, stressing that the synagogue was a religious and cultural landmark that had served the city’s Jewish population for decades. Homayoun Sameh, a Jewish community representative in the Iranian Parliament, said the building was empty at the time of the strike but lamented that Torah scrolls and sacred items were likely buried beneath the debris. He described the attack as a blow to a minority community that has historically lived within Iran’s multicultural society.
Global Outcry Over Strike on Religious Site and Calls for Protection of Civilians:
Civil rights organisations also reacted to the news, with statements condemning the targeting of a place of worship and urging respect for international humanitarian law, which protects religious sites and civilians during armed conflict. Critics argued that the incident highlights the growing toll on non-combatant infrastructure and cultural heritage amid the broader military campaign, which has already seen strikes on factories, bridges and other civilian targets.
The reported destruction of the synagogue comes as diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and halt hostilities continue to face significant obstacles. Iran’s government has denounced the strikes as violations of international norms, while the United States and Israel have characterised their actions as part of a campaign to pressure Tehran in the ongoing conflict. The incident has reignited debate over the conduct of military operations in urban areas and the responsibilities of combatants to protect civilian lives and cultural sites.