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Inside the Israeli drone unit taking on Iran and Hezbollah
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JERUSALEM: Israel’s Squadron 200, also known as the first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Squadron, has played a crucial role in destroying more than half of the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile launchers as the 14th day of the war unfolds across the Middle East.
Fox News Digital gained access to one of Israel’s most experienced and veteran UAV operators from Squadron 200. «I have been flying drones for the past 25 years and other operational missions have prepared me for this war,» said the IDF Squadron leader.
He summed up the highly sensitive nature of his work in protecting the Israeli civilian population. «Every night that my wife and my kids sleep a full night without an alarm is something I can give credit to the air force and drone operators.» Israel’s technology system warns Israelis with mobile phone messages and wailing public alarms that provide an advanced notice of incoming Iranian missiles and drones.
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Israeli Air Force personnel from Squadron 200 oversee a Heron-1 («Shoval») UAV flight. Established in the 1970s, the «First UAV Squadron» operates advanced unmanned systems for surveillance, intelligence and precision missions across multiple arenas. (IDF)
The IDF drone commander said the main goal of his squadron is to «find rocket launchers and surface-to-air missiles that are a risk to our pilots who fly over and destroy them before they launch missiles and gain air superiority for the area and reduce the risk for civilians back at home.»
He added that «We can take a lot of credit for the reduction» in Iranian missiles and drones fired at Israel.
The stakes are high for the UAV operators. Iran’s aerial warfare campaign has led to the deaths of 12 Israelis and over 2,975 people have been admitted to Israeli hospitals.
People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
An IDF spokesman told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Iran has launched «many dozens of missiles with cluster bomb heads spread across Israel.» The cluster munitions are particularly lethal because they murder or severely injure with scattered bomblets that can also stay active long after their launch.
Just days ago, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the Israeli military spokesman, told Fox News Digital that the army has had a «near complete success» rate in stopping Iranian drones from hitting Israeli targets.
However, the drone commander warned that the «great decrease in the number of launchers does not mean we can sit and rest.»
TRUMP SAYS US, ISRAEL SHATTERED IRANIAN MILITARY CAPABILITIES, PRESSES LEADERS TO SURRENDER: ‘CRY UNCLE’
The IDF drone commander said, «one thing we learned from October 7 is that we should eliminate risks before they become too big.»
A Heron-1 («Shoval») UAV, operated by Israeli Air Force Squadron 200, takes off for an intelligence and surveillance mission. Manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, the aircraft can remain airborne for extended periods, delivering day-and-night real-time intelligence. (IDF)
«The important thing is the goal of bringing peace to the Middle East,» he said with reference to when Iran and Israel had cordial relations before the 1979 Islamic Republic revolution in Iran and President Trump’s advocacy for peace in the region.
The complex running of a drone team was described as «orchestra» work, by the UAV operator, where a 3-person crew — commander, pilot and operator — seamlessly coordinate their various activities.
According to the IDF, Squadron 200 operates the Heron-1 («Shoval») UAV, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, which is used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, support of ground forces and precision strike missions.»
A general view of Tehran with smoke visible in the distance after explosions were reported in the city, on March 2, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (Contributor/Getty Images)
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The IDF said that the air force’s drones «are capable of remaining airborne for extended periods and providing real-time intelligence to forces on the ground, both day and night and over long distances.
The squadron was established in the 1970s as part of the development of the Israeli Air Force’s UAV array and has since participated in numerous operations across different arenas.»
war with iran,israel,conflicts,military tech
INTERNACIONAL
En un rincón azotado por los cárteles, los mexicanos están abiertos a la intervención de EE.UU.
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Iran moves hundreds of millions in crypto during nationwide internet blackout, report reveals
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EXCLUSIVE: Cryptocurrency infrastructure linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continued operating during the country’s nationwide internet blackout after the Feb. 28 U.S.–Israeli strikes, a cyber intelligence report reviewed by Fox News Digital claims. It allowed hundreds of millions of dollars in crypto to move out of the country.
Omri Raiter, founder and CEO of RAKIA, a cyber intelligence firm that develops data analysis platforms used by governments and security agencies, told Fox News Digital his team began monitoring Iranian cryptocurrency activity in real time after the attacks and quickly detected a surge of funds leaving Iranian-linked crypto accounts.
«We’ve seen a surge of funds since the first hours of the war,» Raiter said. «It started with tens of millions in the first hours, and it grew to hundreds of millions and more. Money was just flowing out from Iranian crypto accounts.»
Wallets linked to the IRGC received more than $3 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025, according to the internal report based on blockchain intelligence data cited by RAKIA. The report also cites publicly available data from blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis, which estimated Iran’s cryptocurrency ecosystem reached $7.78 billion in activity in 2025.
IRAN PROXIES WAGE WAR ON ISRAEL, THREATEN US INTERESTS AS IRAQ SLAMMED FOR NOT DISARMING THEM
Strikes on the Iranian leadership, the IRGC and Iranian naval vessels and oil infrastructure have roiled the markets. ( Sasan/Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
Raiter said the data suggests Iran has developed a significant crypto-based financial infrastructure capable of operating even during heavy sanctions and communications shutdowns.
«The IRGC has been financing proxy operations through the very same crypto corridors that sanctions were designed to shut down,» Raiter said.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned cryptocurrency exchanges tied to Iranian actors Jan. 30, marking one of the first times the U.S. targeted entire digital asset platforms rather than individual wallets for sanctions evasion linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move was part of a broader effort to disrupt financial networks connected to Tehran, Iran.
«The Treasury will continue to pursue Iranian networks and corrupt elites who enrich themselves at the expense of the people,» Bessent said in a Treasury press release in January. «This also applies to attempts by the regime to use digital assets to circumvent sanctions.»
The recent surge appears to reflect two parallel trends: funds moving to support Iran’s regional proxy networks and money being moved by individuals connected to the regime seeking to protect their personal wealth, according to RAKIA’s analysis.
«The proxy war funding and the personal capital flight are two sides of the same coin,» Raiter said. «They move through the same pipelines.»
IRAN WAR, 11 DAYS IN: US CONTROLS SKIES, OIL SURGES AND THE REGION BRACES FOR WHAT’S NEXT
Tehran’s skyline, including the Azadi Tower, became the backdrop to a crisis shaped as much by cyber disruption as by missiles in the sky. (Kurt «CyberGuy» Knutsson)
Raiter said the firm identified cryptocurrency flows connected to networks previously associated with Iran-backed groups.
«Some of the accounts we saw are connected to areas where money historically flows to proxy wars,» he told Fox News Digital, citing activity linked to Lebanon and Yemen.
«Some of it could be people inside the IRGC trying to move their own money,» Raiter said. «But when you see the scale and the timing, it looks coordinated.»
The report produced by RAKIA claims the activity continued even after Iran imposed a sweeping internet shutdown across the country. National connectivity dropped to roughly 1% of normal levels during the blackout, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks.
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Military members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in western Tehran, Iran (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Despite that shutdown, RAKIA researchers said they detected more than 1,100 active cryptocurrency nodes operating inside Iran.
«When the internet is at one percent and you still see over a thousand active crypto nodes, you’re not looking at retail users,» Tom Malca, RAKIA’s head of cyber and AI research, said in the report. «Those nodes require dedicated bandwidth, stable power and deliberate exemption from the shutdown.»
RAKIA researchers said the activity suggests specialized infrastructure continued operating even as millions of Iranian civilians were cut off from the internet.
Most of the nodes were concentrated in the Tehran–Qom corridor, according to the report, an area that includes major government and IRGC institutions. Smaller clusters were detected in Iranian cities, including Isfahan, Mashhad, Tabriz and Kermanshah, according to the analysis.
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Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps special forces walk on the U.S. flag during a rally commemorating International Quds Day, also known as Jerusalem Day, in Tehran, Iran, March 28, 2025. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
RAKIA said its investigation relied on a combination of network monitoring and publicly available blockchain intelligence.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York declined to comment on the report’s claims.
war with iran,terrorism,cybercrime
INTERNACIONAL
Florida Republicans send SAVE Act–style proof-of-citizenship voting bill to DeSantis’ desk
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Florida lawmakers are sending Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a strict elections bill modeled after the federal SAVE America Act strongly championed by President Donald Trump that mandates voters verify their citizenship when registering.
Lawmakers in Tallahassee, Florida, in the GOP-dominated state House approved the measure in a 77–28 vote Thursday, hours after the bill passed the Republican-controlled state Senate 27–12. The votes in both houses of the Florida legislature were nearly entirely along party lines.
DeSantis, a supporter of what he calls «the Florida version of the SAVE Act,» is expected to sign the measure when it reaches his desk.
«Although Florida has already enacted much of what the federal legislation contemplates, this will further fortify our state as the leader in election integrity,» the governor highlighted in a social media post.
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The developments in Florida come as the federal bill faces an uncertain future in Congress.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida supports a bill approved by his state’s legislature which mandates proof-of-citizenship when registering to vote. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
The SAVE Act, which stands for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, narrowly passed the GOP-controlled House in February mostly along party lines. But it’s stalled in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53–47 majority in the chamber, far short of the 60 vote threshold needed to pass the bill.
The federal bill would require strict voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements across the country. Republicans say the bill is necessary to secure election integrity.
While polls indicate the vast majority of Americans — regardless of the political affiliation — support voter IDs at the polls and preventing noncitizens from voting in federal elections, Democrats argue the bill is not needed, since citizenship already is a requirement to vote and instances of noncitizen voting are rare.
THUNE GUARANTEES VOTER ID BILL TO HIT THE SENATE DESPITE SCHUMER, DEM OPPOSITION: ‘WE WILL HAVE A VOTE’
Democrats and voting rights groups also claim that the federal bill would create unnecessary barriers, making it harder for voters to cast a ballot.
President Donald Trump has said that passing a federal bill that mandates proof-of-citizenship to register to vote should be the number one priority for Congress. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Trump, who is intent on holding the Republican congressional majorities in the 2026 midterm elections, said earlier recently that the federal bill should be the top priority in Congress and that if passed, it «will guarantee the midterms» for Republicans.
But the Florida bill’s proof of citizenship requirement wouldn’t take effect until January, after the November 2024 midterm elections. And the bill also doesn’t limit the Sunshine State’s allowance for excuse-free mail-in-voting.
Trump has long railed against mail-in-balloting.
SCHUMER DOUBLES DOWN ON GOP VOTING BILL ‘JIM CROW 2.0’ DESPITE DEMOCRATIC VOTER SUPPORT
The Florida measure also would prevent college students from using their student IDs when voting in person, but that provision wouldn’t take effect until 2027.
«This bill creates real barriers for everyday Floridians, especially those with the fewest resources,» Democratic state Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis of Orlando argued in a social media post. «It will disproportionately impact working families, seniors, and college students who want to exercise their voice and right to vote.»
A view of the Florida State Capitol building in Tallahassee, Florida. (Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)
And Florida Democratic Party Chair, Nikki Fried charged, «In the cover of night, Florida Republicans made it harder for U.S. citizens to vote.»
«While Democrats, civic groups, and voters voiced their concerns to stop this harmful policy, Republicans decided citizens’ voices didn’t matter and voted to disenfranchise hardworking Floridians,» she added.
The bill would make Florida the most populous state in the nation to mandate proof-of-citizenship to register to vote.
Arizona and Kansas enacted similar requirements in the past two decades, and Louisiana passed a law two years ago.
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Proof-of-citizenship bills passed recently in the South Dakota and Utah legislatures, and are awaiting the governors’ signatures.
And in 2024, New Hampshire mandated that all first-time voters show proof of citizenship when registering.
donald trump,ron desantis,voting,elections,midterm elections,florida
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