From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Israel’s Diaspora Ministry notes conflicting reports regarding ostensible strike damaging Tehran synagogue
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleZev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
Following Iranian state media reports that the Rafi Niya synagogue in central Tehran has sustained significant damage, allegedly in an Israeli air strike, Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry, in an internal report, notes there are conflicting reports as to the circumstances of the incident and as to whether the synagogue was damaged or completely destroyed.
It says the claim that the synagogue was damaged is supported “by several sources, albeit all of them Iranian.”
The ministry says that the Associated Press has confirmed the reports of damage, citing footage that aligns with Iranian accounts of the destruction. As far as The Times of Israel can establish, AP has quoted Iranian media regarding the incident, and reported that “video from the site showed rescuers moving around and what looked like a book of Hebrew scripture in the rubble.”
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem is looking into the reports, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel earlier, while the IDF has yet to comment.
The Diaspora Affairs Ministry’s internal report notes that Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency claims a “significant part” of the Jewish house of worship was destroyed in the alleged attack. Local sources and preliminary analysis, it also notes, suggest the synagogue may have been caught in the blast radius of a strike aimed at an adjacent building.
Ostensible visual documentation from the scene showed rescuers working through piles of rubble and debris, with photographs capturing scattered religious books and damaged interior fixtures.
The ministry’s internal report cites analysts noting that the framing of the event by Iranian officials — asserting that Israel “deliberately attacked” a religious site — has not been independently verified. Some have suggested the reports are being used for propaganda purposes, it adds.
Footage shows the heavily damaged Rafi Niya Synagogue in Tehran following a reported US-Israeli strike on April 7. Rescue crews were seen at the scene as Iranian media reported the strike and noted that the site was targeted despite Iran being home to the second-largest Jewish… pic.twitter.com/mTQUFodfxX
— TRT World (@trtworld) April 7, 2026
A few hours ago, the Jewish synagogue near Palestine Street in Tehran was targeted by Israeli fighter jets.
This synagogue, located near Palestine Square, is known as "Rafi Niya Synagogue," and a significant part of it has been destroyed as a result of the Israeli attack. pic.twitter.com/dBXApQ3omi
— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) April 7, 2026
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