Fire at Iran Defense Ministry Car Battery Factory Extinguished, Report Says

FILE - Iranian women walk in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023.  (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
FILE - Iranian women walk in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
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Fire at Iran Defense Ministry Car Battery Factory Extinguished, Report Says

FILE - Iranian women walk in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023.  (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
FILE - Iranian women walk in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

A fire in a storage area of an Iranian defense ministry's car battery factory north of the capital has been extinguished, state TV reported Friday.

The fire happened around midnight in a 2-square-kilometer storage area of plastic items in the factory north of Tehran. The TV footage showed a black column of smoke rising in the nighttime sky.
Firefighters were able to put out the fire with no casualties and the cause is under investigation, the report said.
It did not mention any potential damage from the fire. Iran’s defense ministry has long owned the biggest and oldest car battery factories in Iran.
Incidents at the country’s defense industry sites have increased in recent years, and Iran has blamed Israel for attacks or sabotage.
In August, Iran accused Israel of trying to sabotage its ballistic missile program through faulty foreign parts that could explode, damaging or destroying the weapons before they could be used.



Netanyahu Says Iran’s Government Fears Its People More than Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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Netanyahu Says Iran’s Government Fears Its People More than Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 13, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday in a direct message to Iranians that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's government feared the people of Iran more than Israel.

"That’s why they spend so much time and money trying to crush your hopes and curb your dreams," he said in a video message. "Well, I say to you this: Don’t let your dreams die. I hear the whispers: Women, Life, Freedom. Zan, Zendegi, Azadi.

"Don't lose hope. And know that Israel and others in the free world stand with you," Netanyahu said.