Information war in the USA? White House shuts down rumors about drones over California

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt assured on Thursday that there is no drone threat to the US from Iran. She accused ABC News of lying in connection with its publication about possible Iranian drone attacks on California.

“This post and message should be immediately retracted by ABC News for spreading false information to scare the American public,” Leavitt wrote on X, sharing Wednesday's post with ABC News.

They wrote this based on one email that was sent to law enforcement in California about one piece of unverified information. The email even said the tip was based on unverified intelligence. ABC News, however, omitted this important fact from its news coverage. WHY? – she continued.

Leavitt assured that such a threat from Iran to the US does not exist and never has existed.

On Wednesday, ABC News reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned California police at the end of February that Iran may attack the US West Coast with drones in retaliation for US strikes.

“Recently, we have received information that in early February 2026, Iran reportedly wanted to conduct a surprise attack using drones (launched from) an unidentified vessel off the coast of the US, specifically against unspecified targets in California,” wrote the warning, quoted by ABC News. “We have no additional information about the date, method, purpose or perpetrators of this alleged attack,” it added.

California Governor Gavin Newsom assured on Wednesday that he is in constant contact with security services and intelligence to monitor potential threats to the state, including those related to the conflict in the Middle East. “We are not currently aware of any immediate threats, but we are prepared for any emergency in our state,” the governor added on X.

Israel and the US launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28, killing, among others, the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Tehran responded by attacking Israel and several Persian Gulf countries, hitting both American bases and civilian facilities there, and also announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

From Washington Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)

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