JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for a “Golden Dome” to protect the United States from long-range missiles was at least partly inspired by Israel's multitiered missile defenses.
Trump announced the $175 billion concept in the Oval Office on Tuesday, saying it would put U.S. weapons in space for the first time and be would be “fully operational” by the end of his term in early 2029, though a U.S. official familiar with the program said it could take longer.
Israel's multilayered defenses, often collectively referred to as the “Iron Dome," have played a key role in defending it from rocket and missile fire from Iran and allied militant groups in the conflict unleashed by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
The sophisticated system, developed over decades with considerable U.S. support, is capable of detecting incoming fire and deploying only if the projectile is headed toward a population center or sensitive military or civilian infrastructure. Israeli leaders say the system isn't 100% guaranteed, but credit it with preventing serious damage and countless casualties.
Here’s a closer look at Israel’s multilayered air-defense system:
This system developed with the U.S. is designed to intercept long-range missiles. The Arrow, which operates outside the atmosphere, has been used to intercept long-range missiles launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and by Iran itself during two direct exchanges of fire last year.
Also developed with the U.S., David’s Sling is meant to intercept medium-range missiles, such as those possessed by Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group. It was deployed on multiple occasions throughout the war with Hezbollah, which ended with a ceasefire last year.
This system, developed by Israel with U.S. backing, specializes in shooting down short-range rockets. It has intercepted thousands of rockets since it was activated early last decade — including volleys launched by Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel says it has a success rate of over 90%.
Israel is developing a new system to intercept incoming threats with laser technology. Israel has said this system will be a game changer because it would be much cheaper to operate than existing systems. According to Israeli media reports, the cost of a single Iron Dome interception is about $50,000, while the other systems can run more than $2 million per missile. Iron Beam interceptions, by contrast, would cost a few dollars apiece, according to Israeli officials — but the system is not yet operational.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
FILE - Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system fires to intercept as air raid sirens sound in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 23, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, Israel, on Oct. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Avi Roccah, File)
Posters for the proposed Golden Dome for America missile defense shield are displayed before an event with President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Wildfires have forced evacuations for visitors and staff at two national parks in the U.S. West as the summer monsoon season brings increased lightning to the arid region.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, about 260 miles (418 kilometers) southwest of Denver, closed until further notice after lighting strikes sparked blazes on both rims, park officials said. The Grand Canyon’s North Rim in Arizona also closed because of a wildfire on adjacent Bureau of Land Management land near Jacob Lake.
The wildfire on Black Canyon of the Gunnison's South Rim ignited Thursday and has burned 2.5 square miles (6.5 square kilometers), with no containment of the perimeter. The smaller blaze on the North Rim was out as of Friday, according to an incident map.
The conditions there have been ripe for wildfires with hot temperatures, low humidity, gusty winds and dry vegetation, the park said, adding that weather remained a concern Friday.
Fire danger has ramped up in the West as drought conditions have worsened across several states. While monsoon season can drop much-needed moisture on the area from June through September, it can also bring dust storms and thunderstorms like those that ignited the wildfires in the Colorado and Arizona parks.
Firefighters saved Black Canyon's visitor center along the South Rim by removing dry vegetation and coating the building in a layer of protective material, fire officials said. Small aircrafts from Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control dropped retardant from the sky Friday while ground crews tried to contain the burn. Some park equipment and sheds were damaged, the park said.
In Arizona, the Coconino County Sheriff's Office said it helped evacuate people from an area north of Jacob Lake and campers in the Kaibab National Forest nearby. The fire began Wednesday evening after a thunderstorm moved through the area, fire officials said.
“Gusty and erratic winds” spread the flames Thursday afternoon and inhibited firefighters from containing the blaze, Bureau of Land Management spokesperson Rachel Carnahan said. By Friday afternoon, it had burned about 13.5 square miles (35 square kilometers) with zero containment, and dark clouds of smoke had settled over the Grand Canyon.
About 500 visitors who planned to stay in the park overnight were evacuated Thursday night, Grand Canyon spokesperson Joëlle Baird said. Employees and residents on the North Rim were told to shelter in place.
Melinda Rich, whose family owns the 102-year-old Jacob Lake Inn known for its homemade cookies, evacuated 75 employees Thursday and guests in about 35 cabins that were rented out at the time.
“It’s tricky for us because we were half booked and now we have to refund all of those things, and that’s a challenge financially for us,” she said. “But you also feel bad for the people who, this might be their first time at the canyon.”
Some guests had just checked in when the inn got a call from the sheriff’s office saying everyone should leave immediately, Rich said. The staff began calling and emailing guests who were out exploring, she said.
Even as smoke rose around them, the evacuation felt precautionary because of the wind direction, Rich said. In 2020, a wildfire came within 20 feet (6 meters) of some cabins.
“We had one of those incredible, miraculous moments, a lot of prayers and then wind adjusted just enough that it passed us by about a mile,” she said.
Associated Press writer Felicia Fonseca contributed reporting from Flagstaff, Arizona.
This photo provided by the National Parks Service shows smoke from wildfires in the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park in Colorado on Thursday, July 10, 2025, after high temperatures, very low humidity, gusty winds, and very dry vegetation across the region led to extreme fire danger. (NPS via AP)
In this photo provided by the National Park Service, smoke from wildfires settles over Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Joelle Baird/Grand Canyon National Park)
