The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
The specific method of taking down the balloon is still unclear, but the order was given by President Joe Biden and was presented and supported by military leadership, according to the official.
Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water. U.S. military jets were seen flying in the vicinity and ships were deployed in the water to mount the recovery operation.
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- President Joe Biden said the mission to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the East Coast Saturday was successful, and that he had ordered the Pentagon to knock the aircraft out of the sky as soon as it was safe to do so.
"On Wednesday when I was briefed on the balloon, I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down — on Wednesday — as soon as possible," the president told reporters in Hagerstown, Maryland.
"They decided, without doing damage to anyone on the ground, they decided that the best time to do that was as it got over water ... within a 12-mile limit. They successfully took it down and I want to compliment our aviators who did it," the president added.
Asked if that was a recommendation from his national security team, Biden reiterated: “I told them to shoot it down. They said to me, 'Let’s wait for the safest place to do it.'”
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Американские военные сбили у восточного побережья страны аэростат, принадлежащий Китаю, который вошел в воздушное пространство США. Об этом в субботу, 4 февраля, сообщило агентство Associated Press.
ReplyDeleteОперация прошла у побережья штатов Южная Каролина и Северная Каролина. Сообщается, что сбить воздушный аппарат разрешил лично президент США Джо Байден.
При поражении аэростата в воздушном пространстве неподалеку от него были замечены военные самолеты США. Также в водах в этом районе находились корабли, которые затем приступили к сбору обломков.