Israel carried out strikes against Iran on Friday, targeting its nuclear and military sites, and killing the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and top nuclear scientists.Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a “bitter and painful” fate over the attack, which also killed a senior Guards commander according to Iranian media.The United States underlined that it was not involved in the Israeli action, and warned Tehran not to attack its personnel or interests.Israel’s operation struck at the “heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme”, taking aim at the atomic facility in Natanz and nuclear scientists, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.The operation against Iran will “continue as many days as it takes,” Netanyahu said.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards leader Hossein Salami was killed in the strikes, said Iranian media Tasnim.Iran’s Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri was also “likely eliminated”, said an Israeli security official.Iranian state media said residential buildings in Tehran were hit as well, killing a number of civilians including women and children.Air traffic was halted at Tehran’s main international airport Imam Khomeini, while neighbouring Iraq has also closed its airspace and suspended all flights at all airports, state media reported.Israel declared a state of emergency, likewise closing its airspace, with Defence Minister Israel Katz anticipating retaliatory action from Tehran.”Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Katz said.An Israeli military official added that the Israeli army believed that Iran had the ability to strike Israel “any minute”.- ‘Might blow’ deal -Oil prices surged 12 percent while stocks sank on the Israeli strikes, which came after US President Donald Trump’s warning of a “massive conflict” in the region. Trump had also said the United States was drawing down staff in the Middle East, after Iran threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out.”I don’t want to say imminent, but it looks like it’s something that could very well happen,” Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday when asked if an Israeli attack loomed. Trump said he believed a “pretty good” deal on Iran’s nuclear programme was “fairly close”, but said that an Israeli attack on its arch foe could wreck the chances of an agreement.The US leader did not disclose the details of a conversation on Monday with Netanyahu, but said: “I don’t want them going in, because I think it would blow it.”Trump quickly added: “Might help it actually, but it also could blow it.”Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Iran not respond to Israeli strikes by hitting US bases, saying Washington was not involved.”Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” Rubio said in a statement.Prior to Friday’s attack, Iran had threatened to hit US bases in the Middle East if conflict were to erupt.”All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries,” Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said this week.Following Israel’s strikes, the UN’s nuclear watchdog said it was “closely monitoring” the situation.”The agency is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. We are also in contact with our inspectors in the country,” International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said.- ‘Extremist’ -Israel, which counts on US military and diplomatic support, sees Iran as an existential threat and hit its air defences last year.Netanyahu has vowed less restraint since the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Tehran-backed Hamas, which triggered the massive Israeli offensive in Gaza.Since the Hamas attack, Iran and Israel have traded direct attacks for the first time.The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it has repeatedly denied.Israel again called for global action after the IAEA accused Iran on Wednesday of non-compliance with its obligations. The agency’s resolution could lay the groundwork for European countries to invoke a “snapback” mechanism, which expires in October, that would reinstate UN sanctions eased under a 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by then US president Barack Obama.Trump pulled out of the deal in his first term and slapped Iran with sweeping sanctions.Iran’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, slammed the resolution as “extremist” and blamed Israeli influence.In response to the resolution, Iran said it would launch a new enrichment centre in a secure location.Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close, though still short, of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.

Scale AI announced a “significant” new investment by Meta late Thursday that values the startup at more than $29 billion and puts its founder to work for the tech titan.Scale AI founder and chief executive Alexandr Wang will join Meta to work on the tech giant’s own artificial intelligence efforts as part of the deal, according to the startup.Meta was reportedly pouring more than $10 billion into San Francisco-based Scale AI, and acquires its 28-year-old CEO amid fierce competition in the AI race with rivals such as OpenAI, Google and Microsoft.Scale AI works with business, governments and labs to exploit the benefits of artificial intelligence, according to the startup.”Meta’s investment recognizes Scale’s accomplishments to date and reaffirms that our path forward — like that of AI — is limitless,” Wang said in a release.”Scale bridges the gap between human values and technology to help our customers realize AI’s full potential.”Scale AI will use the infusion of capital to accelerate innovation and strengthen partnerships, along with distributing proceeds to equity holders, according to the startup.Meta will hold a minority stake in Scale AI after the investment deal closes.Tech industry veteran and investor Jason Droege, a co-founder of Uber Eats food delivery platform, will take over as chief of Scale AI, according to the company.”Scale has led the charge in accelerating AI development,” Droege said in a release.”We have built the strongest foundation to tackle AI’s data challenges and push the boundaries of what’s possible.”Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg recently touted the tech firm’s generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) assistant, telling shareholders it is used by a billion people each month across its platforms.

Scott Konopasek, a decorated US veteran, has gone from defending his country to protesting the government, angered by deep budget cuts hurting former members of the military.Wearing a US Army cap, the former intelligence officer voiced frustration and outrage at the impact of the Donald Trump administration’s dramatic overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).”I’m just very disappointed in my country,” he told AFP at a recent demonstration in Washington for veterans’ rights.Having served in the US Army for 15 years, including being decorated for his service during the Gulf War, Konopasek is entitled to free health care through the VA.That has long been a coveted perk in a country where private insurance can be extremely expensive.But Konopasek said he cannot “get appointments anymore for my medical treatment.””The system has been broken,” he said, his voice cracking and tears welling in his eyes.The VA — the second largest US government agency after the Defense Department — not only ensures that veterans can access health care, but also free university education and pensions.In May, department head Douglas Collins announced a drastic restructuring of the institution, which employs some 500,000 people — 90 percent of them in the health sector.A leaked internal memo indicated 15 percent of VA staff would be let go, sparking outrage among former military members.- Privatization of care -Making matters worse, veterans were simultaneously being hit with cuts demanded by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), until recently run by Elon Musk.While they represent 6.1 percent of the US population, veterans constitute a quarter of federal employees, according to Jamie Rowen, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.Joe Plenzler, who served as a US Marine for two decades, insisted the veterans dismissed by DOGE were “patriotic Americans.””Many of them… are serving their country for a second time,” he said.”For them to be fired and then maligned on the way out the door… is an insult.”Another cause for concern, Rowen said, is that “Project 2025” — a blueprint for reshaping the government published by a conservative think tank two years ago in anticipation of a Trump win — called to “privatize healthcare at the VA.”But, “the quality of care by those private providers is not as good as the VA,” the professor stressed.This would be “bad for veterans. It’s more expensive, the wait times are longer and the quality of care is lower.”Ydelka Schrock, a 47-year-old veteran from Maryland who served until 2001, also criticized the shift.”I don’t think what they’re doing to the VA and to the veterans who have fought for our country is right,” she told AFP at the protest.”My husband is also a veteran, and he’s disabled” due to his service as a parachuter, she said, insisting his medical benefits “shouldn’t go away.”Schrock also fears that staff shortages could “make it harder for other veterans” to access the benefits they need.- ‘Losers and suckers’ -Trump’s repeated derogatory remarks about veterans also riled up some of the protesters.He at times clashed with military brass during his 2017-2021 first term, and in 2020 The Atlantic magazine reported he had referred to fallen troops as “losers” and “suckers” — something he denied.”These men and women serve honorably, and now they’re being abandoned… thrown under the bus,” said John Tyler, a 76-year-old veteran who served during the Vietnam war.The betrayal was particularly egregious coming from “a man who didn’t serve (in the military)… a coward,” he told AFP at the Washington protest.Tyler, an African American, and Schrock, who is Hispanic, both slammed the Trump administration’s treatment of minorities in the military and its general attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.”Less people are going to want to serve a government that is not standing for the people to begin with,” Schrock said.She said she would be protesting again Saturday, when Trump hosts a military parade in Washington to celebrate the US Army’s 250th anniversary, and his own 79th birthday.Schrock refused to lose hope. “We’re a rebellious country, a rebellious people,” she said with a smile.