White House Denies Iran Drone Threat Reports

White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt stated on Thursday that a recent ABC News report claiming Iran might launch drones over the West Coast is untrue.

This response came after the FBI notified California law enforcement about potential threats from Iran in relation to a U.S.-Israel operation. Leavitt criticized the ABC report, asserting it should be “immediately retracted” for spreading “false information intended to alarm the American public.”

She pointed out that the original warning was based on an email sent to local police, which cited a single unverified tip, explicitly indicating that the information was *unconfirmed*. Yet, as Leavitt noted, this crucial detail was missing from ABC’s article. “To be clear: There is no such threat to our country from Iran, and there never was,” she added.

In response, California officials are aware of the situation, and Governor Gavin Newsom’s office is collaborating with regional and federal agencies to ensure public safety.

However, Newsom later clarified that there was no imminent danger despite the warnings from the FBI and other media. “We were aware of that information… It’s all about preparing for the worst-case scenario,” he said.

Meanwhile, some federal and state officials remarked that there are currently “no known credible specific threats” backing the alerts that were shared. The FBI’s Los Angeles division had informed local law enforcement based on information regarding unmanned aerial vehicles from earlier this year, pre-dating the ongoing conflict with Iran.

In a social media update, Newsom mentioned that he consistently collaborates with security and intelligence officials to monitor potential threats linked to issues in the Middle East. He concluded by stating: “While we are not aware of any immediate threats at this time, we continue to prepare for any emergency in the state.”