Newsom says he is aware of possible Iranian drone threat in California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said his administration is aware of information about a possible drone threat after ABC News reported that the FBI had warned California police departments about a possible “surprise attack” by Iranian UAVs.

“[In relation] to drone strikes, we’ve been aware of that information,” Newsom told reporters on Wednesday. “We transferred that information in real time to our local partners. Drone issues have always been top of my mind, and we have assembled workgroups specifically around those concerns.”

Newsom later said in a post that he was in constant coordination with security and intelligence officials, including the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, to monitor potential threats to the state tied to the conflict in the Middle East.

“While we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency in our state,” the statement said.

ABC News reported earlier Wednesday that the FBI recently alerted police departments in California about indications that Iran allegedly aspired, as of early February 2026, to carry out a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles launched from an unidentified vessel if the United States conducted strikes against Iran.

The alert said the threat involved unspecified targets in California, but that authorities had “no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”

ABC also reported that intelligence officials have long been concerned about equipment being pre-positioned on land or at sea in the event Israel or the United States struck Iran.

In separate reporting earlier this week, ABC News said a federal alert warned that encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran could serve as an “operational trigger” for sleeper assets outside the country, though the alert said there was no threat tied to a specific location.