California officials moved to reassure the public on Wednesday after details emerged of an FBI warning that Iran had allegedly aspired to carry out a surprise drone attack on targets in the state if the United States launched strikes on Iran, an alert that surfaced as the widening conflict in the Middle East entered a dangerous new phase. The warning, first reported publicly after being reviewed by major US outlets, described intelligence suggesting that, as of early February, Iran had considered using unmanned aerial vehicles launched from an unidentified vessel off the US coast against unspecified locations in California. The bulletin also said authorities had no additional information on the timing, method, target or perpetrators of any such attack.
The alert has drawn renewed attention to the growing concern among security officials and defence specialists over the ability of relatively cheap, long-range drones to threaten civilian centres, ports and other critical infrastructure far from traditional battlefields. In an interview published by the New York Post, Brett Velicovich, a former US Army intelligence and special operations soldier who later built a public profile as a drone warfare commentator and entrepreneur, said the United States was “extremely vulnerable to drone attacks” and argued that California should not dismiss the possibility of an attempted strike. He said swarming, one-way attack drones were now capable of travelling long distances and being guided remotely, including from maritime launch points. According to the report, he warned that such systems could be used to hit population centres, infrastructure and economic targets in an effort to spread fear.
The FBI warning itself did not say an attack was imminent, and public officials in California stressed that point repeatedly as concern spread. Reuters reported that Governor Gavin Newsom said he was not aware of any “imminent threats” to the state, while Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said there was “no specific or credible threat” to Los Angeles at this time. State officials said California had nevertheless elevated its security posture since the start of the conflict and was continuing to coordinate with federal partners. KTVU also reported that Newsom had directed the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to heighten monitoring as authorities assessed the intelligence.
