The FBI warned police departments in California in recent days that Iran could retaliate for American attacks by launching drones at the West Coast, according to an alert reviewed by ABC News.

�We recently acquired information 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 State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,� according to the alert distributed at the end of February. �We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.�

(Oh, that's REALLY helpful. NOT)

The warning came just as the Trump administration launched its ongoing assault against the Islamic Republic. Iran has been retaliating with drone strikes against targets throughout the Mideast.

A spokeswoman for the FBI office in LA declined to comment.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was aware of the warnings to local police about the threat of drone strikes and said he did not have more information to add beyond what was previously reported. He noted that he set up a state operations center when the war began to monitor potential threats to California, coordinate with local officials and prepare for “worst case scenarios.”

“Drone issues have been always top of mind, and we’ve assembled work groups specifically around those concerns,” he told reporters at a news conference Wednesday. “It’s not a surprise. … The questions are in abundance at the moment about what could happen next.”

(Reminder, Musk is largely in California, despite moving HQ)

Newsom said his office was also assessing how to respond to rising gas prices as a result of the war. The governor has harshly criticized Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

“The corrupt and repressive Iranian regime must never have nuclear weapons, The leadership of Iran must go,” Newsom wrote on social media when the war began. “But that does not justify the President of the United States engaging in an illegal, dangerous war that will risk the lives of our American service members and our friends without justification to the American people. President Trump is putting Americans at risk abroad because he is unpopular at home.”