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Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear sites and its top military leaders. Iran retaliates with drones

By JON GAMBRELL, JOSEF FEDERMAN and JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel attacked Iran early Friday with a barrage of airstrikes that took out top military officers and hit nuclear and missile sites, calling it just the beginning and raising the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.

Iran quickly retaliated, sending a swarm of drones at Israel as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of “severe punishment.” Iran had been censured by the U.N.’s atomic watchdog a day earlier for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

For years, Israel had threatened such a strike and successive American administrations had sought to prevent it, fearing it would ignite a wider conflict across the Middle East and possibly be ineffective at destroying Iran’s dispersed and hardened nuclear program.

Columns of smoke rose Friday over Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz after Israeli strikes on the country. Footage aired by Iran’s state media showed what looked like an immediate aftermath of several explosions on the horizon at the nuclear facility, a fireball and plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.

Countries in the region condemned Israel’s attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate deescalation from both sides.

Israel’s military said about 200 aircraft were involved in the initial attack on about 100 targets. Two security officials said the country’s Mossad spy agency was also able to position explosive drones inside Iran ahead of time and then activate them to target missile launchers at an Iranian base near Tehran.

They said Israel had also smuggled precision weapons into central Iran as well as strike systems on vehicles, which were activated as the attack began to hit Iranian air defenses.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the highly secretive missions and it was not possible to independently confirm their claims. There was no official comment.

The Israeli attack hit several sites, including Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. Later in the morning, Israel said it had also destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran.

Israel military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Israel has “significantly damaged” Natanz and that the operation was “still in the beginning.”

Among those killed were three of Iran’s top military leaders, one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, and another who ran the Guard’s ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Iran confirmed all three deaths, which were a significant blow to Tehran’s governing theocracy and will complicate efforts to retaliate against Israel.

Khamenei said other top military officials and scientists were also killed.

In its first response, Iran fired more than 100 drones at Israel. Israel said the drones were being intercepted outside its airspace, and it was not immediately clear whether any got through.

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to reach a deal with Washington on its nuclear program, warning on his Truth Social platform that Israel’s attacks “will only get worse.”

Without saying whether he was privy to specific Israeli plans, Trump said “there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end.”

“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire,” he wrote. “No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”

Officials in Washington had cautioned Israel against an attack during continued negotiations over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. They stressed the U.S. had not been involved and warned against any retaliation targeting U.S. interests or personnel.

Israel told the Trump administration that large-scale attacks were coming, U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity to describe private diplomatic discussions. On Wednesday the U.S. pulled some American diplomats from Iraq’s capital and offered voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.

Israel calls attacks preemptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear program

Israeli leaders cast the attack as necessary to head off an imminent threat that Iran would build nuclear bombs, though it remains unclear how close the country is to achieving that or whether Iran had actually been planning a strike. Iran maintains its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.

“This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed as he vowed to pursue the attack for as long as necessary to “remove this threat.”

Over the past year, Israel has been targeting Iran’s air defenses, hitting a radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery in April 2024 and surface-to-air missile sites and missile manufacturing facilities in October.

Nervous Israelis rushed to supermarkets in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and elsewhere to buy bottled water and other supplies, and circulated messages on WhatsApp groups advising each other to prepare their shelters for potential long-term use.

Iran claims Israel targeted residential areas

Khamenei said in a statement that Israel “opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to a crime in our beloved country, revealing its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centers.”

For Netanyahu, the operation distracts attention from Israel’s ongoing and increasingly devastating war in Gaza, which is now over 20 months old.

There is a broad consensus in the Israeli public that Iran is a major threat, and Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, a staunch critic of Netanyahu, offered his “full support” for the mission against Iran. But if Iranian reprisals cause heavy Israeli casualties or major disruptions to daily life, public opinion could shift quickly.

The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah issued a statement that offered condolences and condemned the attack, but did not threaten to join Iran in its retaliation. Hezbollah’s latest war with Israel — which killed much of the group’s senior leadership — ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November.

Netanyahu expressed hope the attacks would trigger the downfall of Iran’s theocracy, saying his message to the Iranian people was that the fight was not with them, but with the “brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years.”

“I believe that the day of your liberation is near,” he said.

In addition to targeting nuclear and military sites, Israel aimed its attacks at officials leading Iran’s nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that an Israeli strike hit Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and said it was closely monitoring radiation levels.

The strike on Iran pushed the Israeli military to its limits, requiring the use of aging air-to-air refuelers to get its fighter jets close enough to attack. It wasn’t immediately clear if Israeli jets entered Iranian airspace or just fired so-called “standoff missiles” over another country. People in Iraq heard fighter jets overhead at the time of the attack.

Tension had been growing for weeks ahead of attacks

The potential for an attack had been apparent for weeks as angst built over Iran’s nuclear program.

Once the attacks were underway, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem issued an alert telling American government workers and their families to shelter in place until further notice.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took “unilateral action against Iran” and that Israel advised the U.S. that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defense.

“We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a statement released by the White House.

Trump is scheduled to attend a meeting of his National Security Council on Friday in the White House Situation Room.

Israel has long been determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, a concern laid bare on Thursday when the Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years censured Iran over its refusal to work with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site and install more advanced centrifuges.

Even so, there are multiple assessments on how many nuclear weapons Iran could conceivably build, should it choose to do so. Iran would need months to assemble, test and field any weapon, which it so far has said it has no desire to do. U.S. intelligence agencies also assess Iran does not have a weapons program at this time.

In a sign of the far-reaching implications of the emerging conflict, Israel’s main airport was closed and benchmark Brent crude spiked on news of the attack, rising nearly 8% before retreating slightly.

___

Federman and Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi, Amir Vahdat and Mehdi Fattahi in Tehran, Iran; Melanie Lidman and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel; Eric Tucker in Washington; Bassem Mroue and Abby Sewell in Beirut; and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Denny Hamlin to miss NASCAR’s first international race after birth of son

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Denny Hamlin will miss NASCAR’s first international race of the modern era to remain in North Carolina following the birth of his child.

Ryan Truex will replace him Sunday in Mexico City.

“See you guys in Pocono,” Hamlin posted on social media. “We are happy to announce the birth of our son. Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five.”

Hamlin and fiancee Jordan Fish now have three children, two daughters and a son born Wednesday. Hamlin had been on baby watch the last 12 days as Fish went nearly two weeks past her predicted due date.

He had planned to get out of the car at Michigan last Sunday if she went into labor early in the race, but when the first stage passed with no word, he went on to score his third win of the season. The victory was the 57th of his career and made him the all-time winningest driver at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Through 15 races this season, Hamlin ranks third in the overall Cup Series standings.

Truex, younger brother of former JGR full-time driver Martin Truex Jr., is Gibbs’ reserve driver. His last Cup Series start was in 2014 and he has 26 starts at NASCAR’s top level.

Hamlin will need NASCAR to grant him a waiver to be eligible to compete in the playoffs for the Cup Series championship. NASCAR during the offseason tightened the rules for granting waivers, but said it would permit a driver skipping an event for the birth of a child.

The 44-year-old Hamlin will snap his streak of 406 consecutive starts. Hamlin last missed a race in 2014 at California Speedway because of an eye irritation.

Chamoy (Salty and Spicy Mexican Pickled Fruit Sauce)

Chamoy (Salty and Spicy Mexican Pickled Fruit Sauce) Recipe from Serious Eats

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serving size: 1 quart

Ingredients

1 ounce (30 g) dried hibiscus (about 1 cup)
3 ounces (85 g) dried apricots (about 10 to 15 apricots)
4 umeboshi plums (2 ounces; 55 g), pitted
1/4 cup sugar (2 ounces; 55 g), plus more as needed
4 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon (15 ml) tamarind concentrate
2 tablespoons (18 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more as needed (for table salt use half as much by volume or the same weight)
3 cups (710 ml) water
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh lime juice, plus more as needed

Directions

In a 3-quart saucepan or saucier, combine hibiscus, apricots, umeboshi, sugar, chiles, tamarind concentrate, salt, and water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover and cook, lowering heat to maintain a simmer, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Transfer contents of pot to a blender and add lime juice. Starting at the lowest speed and gradually increasing speed to high, blend, stopping to scrape down sides as needed, until a very smooth puree forms. Taste and adjust flavorings and consistency as needed, blending in more salt, sugar, lime juice, and/or water until your desired consistency and flavor are achieved (note the sauce should be boldly salty, tart, sweet, and spicy). Scrape into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Goats on the Go: Raleigh taps four-legged crew to tackle invasive plants at Dorothea Dix Park

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — Raleigh’s most unconventional landscaping crew is back at work—this time with hooves on the ground and greenery in their sights.

Goats on the Go has partnered with the Triangle area and City of Raleigh Parks Department to tackle invasive plants at Dorothea Dix Park, enlisting a team of 32 hungry goats to do what machinery often can’t. It’s part of an eco-friendly approach to land management that’s gaining ground—and followers.

“Goats are often used in steep terrains where it’s dangerous or prohibitively expensive to use machines,” said Stephen Paul, director of Goats on the Go Raleigh-Durham. “They love climbing up and down terrain that most of us wouldn’t even attempt.”

Paul moved from Australia to central North Carolina two years ago to launch the company’s Triangle operation. Since then, his goats have handled jobs ranging from residential backyards to city-wide projects like this one at Dix Park.

“Typically, we want to have a big animal impact,” said Paul. “Let’s say, for example, 30 goats can clear an acre in around five to seven days.”

But these goats aren’t just grazers—they’re gaining traction online, too. Paul says their current crew, affectionately called the “a-team,” has helped the business grow in more ways than one.

“We’re on the verge of doing a project with the City of Durham for Juneteenth,” he said. “The goats are definitely gaining notoriety—that’s for sure.”

Still, despite their rising popularity, don’t expect these animals to come trotting over for a pat on the head.

“They’re curious but cautious,” said Paul. “Getting them to move as a group takes a fine balance—you want just enough pressure to steer them without causing stress.”

Goats on the Go has primarily served private homeowners in the past, helping manage overgrown backyards in a sustainable way. But Paul says the company’s reputation for professional service has opened doors to larger municipal projects like this one.

“That’s actually our usual bread and butter,” said Paul. “For the last couple of years a majority of our work has been serving small backyards and as our reputation for a professional and friendly outfit has grown then we’ve been approached by these more established and institutional customers.”

As the goats munch their way through the summer underbrush, they’re not just clearing land—they’re offering a greener solution to land management across the Triangle.

JetZero plans to build $4.7B plant in North Carolina, aims to create 14,500 jobs

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — JetZero Inc. announced plans Thursday to build its first manufacturing plant for a next-generation passenger jet in central North Carolina, a project that if successful would create more than 14,500 jobs there in a decade.

The California-based startup intends to build the factory at Greensboro’s airport, investing $4.7 billion. The planned hirings from 2027 through 2036 would be the largest job commitment in North Carolina history, according to Gov. Josh Stein.

The company previously identified Greensboro as one of three finalists for the factory to build its fixed-wing — also known as all-wing or blended-wing — Z4 aircraft, which JetZero says will be up to 50% more fuel-efficient than traditional tube-and-wing airliners.

JetZero has said it’s already raised about $300 million toward investment in the Z4 project, including a U.S. Air Force grant to build and fly a demonstrator model by 2027.

United Airlines and Alaska Airlines also are project investors and have made conditional purchase agreements for their fleets, the company said. JetZero aims for the planes to go into service in the early 2030s, with a goal of completing 20 airplanes per month at full production.

Stein, on hand with JetZero executives and other officials for the formal announcement at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, cited North Carolina’s robust aerospace industry and the first manned powered flights at Kitty Hawk by the Wright brothers in 1903.

“North Carolina is the perfect location,” Stein said. “North Carolina was first in flight. We are also the future of flight.”

The jobs would pay minimum average salaries of more than $89,000, according to the state Department of Commerce, which provided details of the project discussed earlier Thursday by a state committee that awards economic incentives.

State and local monetary and training incentives for JetZero and the project described at the committee meeting could exceed $2.35 billion by the 2060s if investment and job-creation thresholds and other requirements are met.

A portion of state incentives awarded by the committee — more than $1 billion over 37 years — is based on a percentage of income taxes withheld from plant workers’ paychecks. The incentives also include up to $785 million from Guilford County and Greensboro and up to $450 million from the General Assembly in part to help with infrastructure, officials said. The project includes a research facility for composite structures.

A commerce department official said that JetZero, headquartered in Long Beach, California, looked for over a year for a plant location, examining 25 sites in 17 states.

JetZero, currently with just 225 workers, enters a jet purchasing market dominated by industry behemoths U.S.-based Boeing and European Airbus.

“We have already shown strong commercial interest and momentum to meet the real airline demand for this aircraft,” CEO Tom O’Leary said. “So this is more than just a factory. It’s a launchpad for a new chapter of American aerospace.”

While a variant of the Z4 would have tanker and transport uses in the military, JetZero has said that it would focus first on building a commercial jetliner with about 250 seats and a range of 5,000 nautical miles.

The 5-year-old company says the plane’s shape will reduce drag and the mounting of engines on the top and back of the plane will make it much quieter than traditional airliners. The Z4 would run on conventional jet fuel but could be converted to hydrogen fuel, according to JetZero.

JetZero says Z4 travelers will board through larger doors and into shorter but wider cabins, and aisles will be less congested as bathrooms will be far away from galleys where meals are prepared.

“It’s going to deliver a better passenger experience than you’ve ever had before on any other plane,” O’Leary said.

Stein said the state is already home to more than 400 aerospace companies. And the Piedmont Triad airport has emerged as an industry hot spot, with Honda Aircraft placing its headquarters there and Boom Supersonic building its first full-scale manufacturing plant for next-generation supersonic passenger jets.

The central location and easy access to interstates also lured Toyota to build an electric battery plant in adjoining Randolph County.

North Carolina’s previous largest economic development project, measured by employment, was revealed in 2022, when Vietnamese automaker VinFast announced plans to build an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Chatham County, promising 7,500 jobs.

J.J. Spaun leads U.S. Open at Oakmont on a wild day of great shots and shockers

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — J.J. Spaun is still new enough to the U.S. Open, and a newcomer to the brute that is Oakmont, that he was prepared for anything Thursday. He wound up with a clean card and a one-shot lead on an opening day that delivered just about everything.

Scottie Scheffler had more bogeys in one round than he made had the entire tournament when he won the Memorial. He shot a 73, his highest start ever in a U.S. Open, four shots worse than when he made his Open debut at Oakmont as a 19-year-old at Texas.

Patrick Reed made the first albatross in 11 years at the U.S. Open when he holed out a 3-wood from 286 yards on the par-5 fourth. He finished with a triple bogey.

Bryson DeChambeau was 39 yards away from the hole at the par-5 12th and took four shots from the rough to get to the green.

Si Woo Kim shot a 68 and had no idea how.

“Honestly, I don’t even know what I’m doing on the course,” Kim said. “Kind of hitting good but feel like this course is too hard for me.”

Through it all, Spaun played a steady hand in only his second U.S. Open. He played bogey-free and finished with 10 straight pars for a 4-under 66 on America’s toughest course hosting the major know as the toughest test in golf.

He matched the low opening round in U.S. Opens at Oakmont — Andrew Landry also shot 66 the last time here in 2016 — and it was no mystery. Good putting never fails at any U.S. Open, and Spaun holed five par putts ranging from 7 feet to 16 feet to go along with four birdies.

“I didn’t really feel like I’m going to show a bogey-free round 4 under. I didn’t really know what to expect especially since I’ve never played here,” said Spaun, playing in only his second U.S. Open. “But yeah, maybe sometimes not having expectations is the best thing, so I’ll take it.”

Oakmont lived up to its reputation with a scoring average of about 74.6 despite a course still relatively soft from rain and moderate wind that didn’t stick around for long.

And oh, that rough.

Just ask Rory McIlroy, although he chose not to speak for the fifth straight competitive round at a major since his Masters victory. He had to hack out three times on the fourth hole to get it back to the fairway, and then he holed a 30-foot putt for a most unlikely bogey. He shot 74.

“Even for a guy like me, I can’t get out of it some of the times, depending on the lie,” DeChambeau said after a 73. “It was tough. It was a brutal test of golf.”

The start of the round included Maxwell Moldovan holing out for eagle on the 484-yard opening hole. Toward the end, Tony Finau hit an approach just over the green, off a sprinkler head and into the grandstand, his Titleist marked by green paint of the sprinkler. He saved par.

When the first round ended more than 13 hours after it started, only 10 players managed to break par. That’s one fewer than the opening round in 2016.

Scheffler, the heavy favorite as the No. 1 player in the world who had won three of his last four tournaments by a combined 17 shots, made a 6-foot birdie putt on his second hole. Then he found the Church Pew bunkers on the third and fourth holes, made bogey on both and was never under the rest of the day.

“I made some silly mistakes out there, but at the same time, I made some key putts and some good momentum saves in my round,” Scheffler said. “But overall just need to be a little sharper.“

Spaun, who started his round by chipping in from ankle-deep rough just right of the 10th green, was walking down the 18th fairway when a spectator looked at the group’s scoreboard and said, “J.J. Spaun. He’s 4 under?”

The emphasis was on the number, not the name.

But some of the names were surprising, starting with Spaun. He lost in a playoff at The Players Championship to McIlroy that helped move him to No. 25 in the world, meaning he didn’t have to go through U.S. Open qualifying for the first time.

Thriston Lawrence of South Africa, who contended at Royal Troon last summer, had six birdies in a round of 67.

And perhaps Brooks Koepka can count as a surprise because the five-time major champion has not contended in a major since winning the PGA Championship in 2023, and he missed the cut in the Masters and PGA Championship this year.

He looked like the Koepka of old, muscling way around Oakmont, limiting mistakes and closing with two birdies for a 68 that left him in a group with the South Korea duo of Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im.

“It’s nice to put a good round together. It’s been a while,” Koepka said. “It’s been so far off … but now it’s starting to click. Unfortunately, we’re about halfway through the season, so that’s not ideal, but we’re learning.”

Another shot back at 69 was a group that included two-time major champion Jon Rahm, who went 11 holes before making a birdie, and followed that with an eagle.

“I played some incredible golf to shoot 1 under, which we don’t usually say, right?” Rahm said.

The course allowed plenty of birdies, plenty of excitement, and doled out plenty of punishment.

McIlroy also was bogey-free, at least on his opening nine. Then he three-putted for bogey on No. 1 and wound up with a 41 on the front nine for a 74. Sam Burns was one shot out of the lead until playing the last four holes in 5 over for a 72 that felt a lot worse.

Spaun was not immune from this. He just made everything, particularly five par putts from 7 feet or longer.

“I think today was one of my best maybe putting days I’ve had maybe all year,” Spaun said. “Converting those putts … that’s huge for momentum and keeping a round going, and that’s kind of what happens here at U.S. Opens.”

Spaun wouldn’t know that from experience. This is only his second U.S. Open, and his ninth major since his first one in 2018. He didn’t have to qualify, moving to No. 25 in the world on the strength of his playoff loss to McIlroy at The Players Championship.

“I haven’t played in too many,” Spaun said “I knew it was going to be tough. I did my best just to grind through it all.”

It was every bit of a grind, from the rough and on the fast greens. Three more days.