A sharp dispute has erupted between the White House and a major news network after a report suggested Iran could be preparing a potential drone strike targeting California.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly criticized ABC News over the report, calling it “phony,” “reckless,” and “completely false.” In a strongly worded post on social media, Leavitt demanded that the network retract the story, accusing it of spreading unnecessary alarm based on unverified information.
“There has never been a credible threat against the American homeland from Iran,” Leavitt wrote, arguing that the report exaggerated intelligence and risked creating public panic.
The controversy stems from an ABC report referencing an early February FBI alert reportedly circulated among regional law enforcement agencies. According to details described in the original article, the alert warned that Iran could potentially launch a “surprise attack using unmanned aerial objects” from a vessel off the U.S. coast if tensions escalated following American military strikes against Iran.
The warning reportedly did not specify an exact target location but was distributed to police departments to raise awareness about a possible scenario involving drone-based retaliation.
ABC’s reporting quickly gained attention online, triggering debate across social media and political circles. Supporters of the administration praised Leavitt for confronting what they described as “fear-based reporting.” Others criticized the White House response, arguing that government officials should take even hypothetical threats seriously rather than dismiss them outright.
The FBI itself has not publicly commented on the alert referenced in the report, leaving some uncertainty about the scope and urgency of the warning.
Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged the issue during a press briefing earlier in the week. While he did not confirm details of the alleged plot, Newsom said state officials had been aware of the intelligence and were working with the State Operations Center and other agencies to monitor potential risks.
“Drone issues have been top of mind,” Newsom said, noting that state authorities were coordinating with federal partners.
Security experts have long warned that drone technology could pose challenges for homeland defense, particularly as unmanned aerial systems become cheaper and more widely available.
California’s large population — including an estimated hundreds of thousands of Iranian dissidents living in the state — has occasionally placed it in discussions about geopolitical tensions involving Iran.
For now, however, the debate appears less about an imminent threat and more about how intelligence warnings should be reported — and how seriously the public should take them.
