TEHRAN: US-Israeli strikes early on Tuesday “completely destroyed” a synagogue in Tehran, Iran’s Mehr news agency and the Shargh newspaper reported.
“According to preliminary information, the Rafi-Nia Synagogue … was completely destroyed in this morning’s attacks,” Shargh wrote.
Judaism is one of Iran’s legally recognized minority religions, and the country has a small Jewish community, although many members fled in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
There are no publicly available official numbers, but there are thought to be a few thousand Jewish people in Iran.
Shargh called the synagogue “one of the most important places for Khorasan Jews to gather and celebrate,” referring to the northeastern province of Iran.
Shia Islam is the majority religion in Iran, but the constitution recognizes Sunni Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity as minority sects, with each represented in parliament.
