ABC News Faces Backlash Over Iranian Drone Report

A report by ABC News on an alleged Iranian drone threat to California initially failed to mention that the information was “unconfirmed.”

The report stated, “We recently received information that as of early February 2026, Iran purportedly intends to use unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the continental United States to conduct surprise attacks against unspecified targets in California, in case the United States attacks Iran.” However, it appears that this detail was missing in the initial coverage. An updated version of the report later included an editor’s note stating the information was, in fact, “unconfirmed.”

“On the left is how ABC (or its sources) reported the FBI warning. On the right is an actual FBI alert sent to JTFF partners. You’ll notice that the word ‘unverified’ is omitted.” — Ben Williamson

In the revised article, ABC News acknowledged the omission, clarifying that a full alert had been issued to California authorities, indicating that the information was unconfirmed.

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt also called for an immediate retraction of the ABC News report, accusing the outlet of spreading misinformation that unnecessarily alarmed the public. “This post and article should be immediately retracted by ABC News for intentionally providing false information. They based this on a single email sent to local law enforcement regarding an unconfirmed tip,” Leavitt asserted. She emphasized that there is no real threat to the country from Iran.

California Governor Gavin Newsom stated on Wednesday that his administration was “not aware of any imminent threat at this time.”

The U.S. military conducted targeted attacks against Iran on February 28, which worsened tensions and disrupted diplomatic efforts. The conflict has persisted as of Thursday. ABC News has not yet responded to requests for comment on this matter.