Feds warn California could be drone target tied to Iran conflict [View all]
Source: USA Today
Updated March 11, 2026, 8:19 p.m. ET
This story was updated with new information.
Federal authorities have warned California law enforcement agencies that the state could be a potential target of a drone attack tied to the escalating war between Iran, the United States and Israel — though officials stress there is no confirmed or imminent threat.
The warning, first reported by ABC News, comes from a federal intelligence memo circulated to Joint Terrorism Task Force partners across the state in late February. It followed U.S. and Israeli strikes inside Iran earlier this year and retaliatory attacks by Tehran in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday, March 11, he is not concerned about Iran-backed attacks on U.S. soil, telling reporters, “No, I’m not,” when asked whether Iran could expand retaliation to the United States.
What the FBI warning says about California
According to the alert described by ABC News and confirmed by multiple law enforcement sources, federal authorities “recently acquired information” suggesting Iran had considered the idea of using unmanned aerial vehicles launched from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. coast. The memo said the hypothetical targets were “unspecified” and located in California, and emphasized that authorities had no information on timing, methods, perpetrators or specific locations.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/03/11/california-fbi-drone-warning-iran/89105503007/
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