Unidentified drones spotted over US army base housing key officials Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth amid Iran war: Report

(Image: AFP)

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, US officials detected unidentified drone over the Washington military base, Fort McNair, where the Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reside, according to a report by The Washington Post.

Authorities are now working to identify those responsible.

The report said that multiple drones were spotted over Fort McNair on a single night in the last 10 days, which prompted increased security measures and a meeting at the White House to discuss how to respond.

Sources told the US publication that after the drone sighting, officials discussed relocating Rubio and Hegseth from Fort McNair, as their quarters on the base were publicly reported by multiple outlets in October. However, the senior administration official said the secretaries haven't moved out of their homes yet.

Fort Lesley J McNair houses the National Defence University and some of the Pentagon's most senior military officials. Recently, a growing number of Trump officials, including outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, have moved on to area bases.

It is conveniently located just approximately 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) from the White House and Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, but it reportedly does not have the same safety buffer as other bases in the capital region.

The sightings come at a time of heightened global tensions due to ongoing conflict between US-Israel and Iran, prompting increased vigilance around key US military and government installations.