Iranian synagogue destroyed in US-Israeli overnight airstrike on Tehran

A historic synagogue belonging to the Jewish community in Tehran has been destroyed in a pre-dawn airstrike carried out by the United States and the Israeli regime, Iranian officials and community representatives confirm.

The attack, which occurred on Tuesday at approximately 3:00 AM local time, targeted the synagogue located in a residential area of the capital. 

The building was completely demolished, and nearby residential homes sustained severe damage. 

Homayoun Sameyeh Najafabadi, the Jewish community's representative in the Iranian Parliament, said no casualties or injuries were reported as the strike took place during early morning hours when the building was empty.

Sameyeh Najafabadi added that the synagogue was a place of worship that held significant historical value as one of Iran's oldest Jewish houses of prayer.

"The Torah scrolls that were kept in this synagogue, which held a very high status, have also been destroyed and remain buried under the rubble," he said.

The attack occurred during the Jewish holiday of Passover (Pesach), one of the most significant festivals in the Jewish calendar.

'Zionists have an anti-Iranian nature'

The Jewish community representative strongly condemned the strike, emphasizing that Tehran's Jewish community has consistently opposed Zionist actions.

"Unfortunately, the criminal Zionist regime targeted a synagogue belonging to the Iranian Jewish community during the days of Passover, in light of the community's firm stance in condemning the regime's actions and its anti-Zionist positions," Sameyeh Najafabadi stated.

"The Zionists have an anti-Iranian nature. Religion and faith hold no importance for them,” he said, adding that this regime has no religious or God-fearing nature whatsoever. 

“The Zionists merely use Judaism as a pretext to legitimize their actions. All Jews around the world are fully aware of this truth," he noted. 

‘Iran's civilizational heritage targeted’ 

Meanwhile, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi wrote on X that the “damage and destruction of the Jewish synagogue building in central Tehran is bitter and distressing.”

“The American-Zionist warmongers have targeted religious sites and Iran's civilizational heritage. For them, it makes no difference whether one is Muslim, Christian, or Jewish,” he noted. 

“They have targeted the Iranian people, but Iran will remain, and they will be gone," he added. 

The United States and Israel launched their latest unprovoked war on Iran on February 28, assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, senior military officials and targeting nuclear facilities, schools and hospitals.

Iran's armed forces have responded with more than 100 waves of retaliatory strikes, codenamed Operation True Promise 4. Hundreds of ballistic and hypersonic missiles, along with drone attacks, have hit American and Israeli targets across the region.

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