California boosts security posture amid report of potential Iranian drone threat

ISTANBUL

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that the state has elevated its security posture following a report that US authorities warned of a potential Iranian drone threat to the West Coast.

“The Governor has directed California Governor's Office of Emergency Services to elevate its security posture and has been coordinating with state, local and federal partners since the start of the conflict to share information around-the-clock,” Newsom said in a statement on the US social media company X’s platform.

His comments came after ABC News reported Wednesday that the FBI warned California law enforcement in late February that Iran might retaliate for potential US strikes on the country by launching drones from a vessel positioned off the West Coast.

The warning said Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a drone attack against unspecified targets in the state if the US struck Iran but noted that authorities had "no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators."

The date of the alert was not clear. An FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles declined to comment to the news outlet.

The warning preceded the US-Israeli joint attack on Iran that began on Feb. 28. Iran has consistently maintained that it does not seek to target the US homeland, saying it has deliberately limited its missile range to below 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) and has no plans to develop weapons capable of reaching American soil.

The escalation in the Middle East flared since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began in late February, reportedly killing more than 1,200 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.

Eight US service members have been killed since the beginning of the campaign.