A major fire broke out at a large chemical plant in the Neot-Hovav industrial zone in southern Israel as a result of an Iranian missile strike, Ynetnews reported. The plant's employees were evacuated for safety reasons after the incident, it said.
Specially trained teams for working with hazardous materials have been sent to the area to assess the risk of possible release of harmful substances and to prevent conflicts in advance.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that three special teams were sent to the scene, which have experience in working with hazardous chemicals. Calcalist reported that all enterprises around the Neot-Hovav industrial zone have been temporarily closed. The area is home to dozens of large factories, employing thousands of workers.
Fars news agency, citing its sources, reported that the strike was carried out by Iran on an Israeli military-related plant. The Neot-Havav industrial zone is one of the most important centers of Israel's chemical industry. Almost half of all the basic chemicals produced in the country are produced in this area.
This news is alarming for the population of the Middle East, as the spread of the fire in the area and the exposure to hazardous substances could have global environmental and economic consequences.
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