Unidentified advanced drones spotted flying over several U.S. military installations could represent a warning from China, according to analyst Gordon Chang, who cautioned that Beijing may be signaling its ability to strike inside the United States if tensions escalate over Iran.

Speaking Monday, Chang pointed to recent incidents involving large, highly capable drones seen over key American bases. “The important point here is that we have had, last month, over four of our important military bases, foreign drones. These drones were large, they were un-hackable, they obviously were not recreational, so some foreign power — probably China, maybe Russia — was operating drones over our critical air force bases,” Chang said on “Mornings with Maria.”

He stressed that the activity should not be dismissed and may carry strategic meaning. “Really, right now, the United States needs to be able to defend its bases in the homeland because those drone flights were a warning to the United States of some sort,” he continued.

Chang suggested the overflights could be intended as a message to President Donald Trump, warning that deeper U.S. involvement in the Iran conflict might provoke retaliatory action targeting American territory.

He also pointed to a recent incident involving a suspicious device discovered near MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, which he said could be connected to China, as further evidence of a growing threat.

“We’ve really got to be concerned,” he said, later adding, “These are warnings that China intends to move on the U.S. in the American homeland.”

Chang further argued that China’s actions should be viewed alongside its strengthening ties with other U.S. adversaries, including Russia and Iran, suggesting a coordinated challenge across multiple fronts.

“China is supporting Russia in Ukraine, and China is supporting Russia in other matters as well… So they have a durable partnership, and anything that helps one of them is going to generally help the other, with the exception of the matter that you just raised,” he said, referring to the tension between higher oil prices benefiting Russia while raising costs for China.

He concluded with a broader warning about the strategic environment facing the United States. “Generally speaking, the United States now faces a very powerful combination, and we shouldn’t be doing anything that fuels that combination,” he added.