The Pentagon reported that the United States shot down a rumored Chinese spy balloon today off China's east coast. The US had made the claim earlier this week that the balloon was spying on important military sites across North America.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made the following statement: "Today's deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President (Joe) Biden and his national security team will always put the safety and security of the American people first while responding effectively to the PRC's unacceptable violation of our sovereignty."
The balloon descended toward the water after a brief explosion was captured on video by local media. The plan of the operation was to dump all of the debris into the ocean. In order to salvage as much of the debris as possible, ships had been deployed.
US President Joe Biden had promised to "take care" of the balloon hours before it was shot down.
Biden responded, "We're gonna take care of it," when asked to comment on the balloon incident and relations with China.
The United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it floated off the South Carolina coast https://t.co/Ys5vDuJbQy pic.twitter.com/IuNeazI6hH
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 4, 2023
On January 28, the balloon was initially detected entering US airspace. Saturday, the white orb crossed the United States and arrived in North Carolina after lingering over Montana, the location of intercontinental ballistic missile silos.
Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the balloon belonged to China, but that it was a civilian airship doing climate research when it went off course by accident.
Due to concerns that it might injure people or damage property on the ground, American officials did not shoot it down earlier.
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