Iranian state-affiliated media reported early Tuesday that an early morning airstrike targeting a nearby building severely damaged the Rafi Nia Synagogue in central Tehran. While authorities blamed an Israeli strike, there has been no independent confirmation of the claim.

Footage from the scene showed Sifrei Kodesh being removed from the debris as senior Jewish figures, including Iran’s leading Rabbi Younes Hamami Lalehzar and parliamentary representative Homayoun Sameh, inspecting the ruins. Sameh noted that “the Zionist regime did not spare this community during the Jewish holidays” and reported that Sifrei Torah were buried under the rubble.

Homayoun Sameh described the Rafi Nia Synagogue as one of the community’s “oldest and most sacred synagogues”

Jewish community figures sharply criticized the attack, stating, “From the enemy, no other ‘gift’ could be expected for the holiday”.

In an official statement, the community condemned the “brutal attacks carried out by the American-Israeli enemy against our beloved homeland”. Vowing total support for the government, they declared, “We will stand by the people and the regime until our last breath to defend our homeland”.