Israeli army destroyed synagogue in Tehran with missiles

(Patria) - The Israeli army (IDF) expressed regret after a synagogue in Tehran was damaged in a missile attack today.

"The IDF regrets the collateral damage to the synagogue and emphasizes that the attack was aimed at a high military target within the regime's armed forces, not at a place of worship," the IDF said in a statement provided to CNN.



The IDF added that the target was a senior commander in the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, used by the Iranian armed forces, and that measures were taken before the attack to reduce civilian damage.

The damage to the synagogue occurred just before the end of Passover, the Jewish holiday commemorating the Israelites' exodus from Egyptian slavery.

A Jewish synagogue in center of Tehran was damaged by the enemy at 4 a.m. on Tuesday.
Debris removal operations are ongoing. pic.twitter.com/AJuFAptTFV

— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) April 7, 2026

CNN had previously geolocated photos and videos published by Iranian media showing extensive damage to the Rafi Niya synagogue, with Hebrew books scattered among the rubble.

The synagogue is "one of the religious centers of Tehran's Jews dating back to the Pahlavi II era," reported the Iranian news agency ISNA, stating that it was "completely destroyed in an airstrike."



Before the 1979 revolution, about 60,000 Jews lived in Iran, according to the Adyan Iran website, which documents religious minorities and is linked to the IranWire activist portal.

According to the last census in 2016, that number had decreased to just under 10,000.