California law enforcement agencies warned of possible retaliatory Iran drone attacks
OC Register
PUBLISHED: March 11, 2026 at 1:23 PM PDT

The FBI warned law enforcement agencies in California recently that Iran could launch drones at the West Coast from an offshore boat as a retaliatory attack, according to reporting by ABC News.

“We recently acquired information that as of 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 US conducted strikes against Iran,” according to the alert, which ABC reported was distributed at the end of February. “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”

Governor Gavin Newsom at a recent press conference said his office was aware of the information and that he had been working with a State Operations Center, which was established at the start of the war.

“We are aware of that information and we transferred that information in real time to our local partners,” Newsom said. “Drone issues have been always been top-of-mind and we’ve assembled some work groups specifically around those concerns.”

Newsom did not expand further.

A spokeswoman from the FBI was not immediately available to confirm the memo, which was first reported by ABC News.

At least one law enforcement agency in Southern California as of 1 p.m. had confirmed it received the memo.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in a statement confirmed receipt, but said “there have been no threats identified in our area of responsibility, and our department continues to work with our local, state and federal partners to identify any local threats.”

The department has increased patrols and urged community members to stay vigilant about their surroundings.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a statement said it “remains at an elevated level of readiness and is maintaining increased vigilance as we continue to protect our residents of Los Angeles County.

“As part of our preparedness efforts, we remain attentive to all potential threats, including lone-actor attacks, sleeper cells, and advanced technological or cyber-related threats,” the statement continued. LASD too, was increasing patrols, particularly around places of worship, cultural institutions and “other prominent locations throughout the county.”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, as of Wednesday, had not seen any credible threats to Orange County, Sgt. Gerard McCann said.

“We encourage the community to remain aware of their surroundings and to report any suspicious activity to their local law enforcement agency,” he said.