The Israeli Defense Force has struck Iran. Reports show that Israel has hit targets deep inside Iranian territory. The Iranian state news agency IRNA reports large explosions in and around Isfahan.
Iran’s military incursion against Israel on April 13th was the first by a foreign power since Iraq launched scud missiles at Tel Aviv and Haifa during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Iran has promised a swift and severe response to any attacks made by Israel on Iranian territory.
We are following the breaking developments in the Holy Land and across the Middle East very closely. We are monitoring the wider ripple effects these developments will have on the region’s native Orthodox Christian population.
The Order of Saint George the Great Martyr remains committed to the community at St. Porphyrios Orthodox Church, to Archbishop Alexios of Tiberias, to the Christians of Gaza, to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and to all the Orthodox Christians who live and breathe across the Holy Land and Levant.
There are an estimated 300,000 Christians in Iran. There are at least three Orthodox churches. Most of Iran’s Christians are Armenian (Oriental Orthodox), but Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant Christian groups are also among the population. Iran protects Christianity as a recognized religion of the State (except for Christians who convert from Islam, which remains illegal).