The FBI warned police departments in California that Iran could attack the state with drones if the United States launched strikes against Iran, ABC News reported on Wednesday.
An FBI spokesman declined to comment to JNS.
Diana Crofts-Pelayo, deputy director of communications for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, told JNS that the state’s Office of Emergency Services is “actively working with state, local and federal security officials to protect our communities.”
According to the Democratic governor’s office, the bulletin, about which ABC reported, “is one of numerous security updates the state receives from federal partners daily and disseminates to local law enforcement and emergency responders.”
The emergency services office “elevated its security posture since the start of the conflict in the Middle East to share around the clock updates and intelligence to keep Californians safe,” per Newsom’s office.
A spokesman for the state emergency services office told JNS that it is in “regular coordination with federal, state and local partners, sharing information on potential threats as part of security efforts.”
“While we can’t discuss sensitive details, Californians should know that this kind of coordination happens every day to keep people safe,” the spokesman said.
“California is prepared to protect its communities, and we’ll continue working closely with our federal partners, including the FBI, who is best positioned to speak to any specific intelligence,” the spokesman told JNS.
ABC reported that it saw a bulletin from the FBI at the end of February that stated that “as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran.”
“We have no additional information on the timing, method, target or perpetrators of this alleged attack,” the bulletin said, per ABC reporting.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Newsom was asked about the ABC report.
“We are aware of that information and we transferred that information in real time to our local partners,” Newsom stated. “Drone issues have been always top of mind, and we’ve assembled some work groups specifically around those concerns.”
“That’s all I’ll share at the moment,” the governor said. “I have nothing more insightful beyond just what’s been reported and how we’re transmitting what we know to our local partners.”
Newsom stated on social media that “while we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency in our state.”
