Israel has acknowledged carrying out an airstrike in Tehran that heavily damaged a synagogue, while contending the religious site was not the intended target. The Israel Defense Forces said the strike early Tuesday was aimed at a senior commander in Khatam al-Anbiya, Iran's military emergency command, and described the hit on the nearby Rafi Niya synagogue as unintended "collateral damage." The military said it used "precise munitions and aerial surveillance" to limit civilian harm, the Times of Israel reports, and is still reviewing the outcome. "Israel doesn't target synagogues. Anyone claiming otherwise thinks you're gullible," an Israeli official said.
Iranian state media and other outlets accused Israel of deliberately attacking the synagogue, with some reports saying the building was destroyed. State-run IRNA said the explosion around 4am local time also seriously damaged at least five nearby residential buildings. Homayoun Sameh, the Jewish community's representative in Iran's parliament, blamed Israel and said Torah scrolls were buried under the debris. The Israeli military said it regretted the damage, per the Wall Street Journal. Iran's Jewish population, now estimated at between 8,000 and 15,000, is a fraction of its pre-1979 size but remains the region's second largest after Israel, with roughly 25 synagogues still believed to be operating in the country, per the Times.
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