The episode with the Chinese spy balloon has ended with the Americans shooting it down over South Carolina on Saturday.
The news was reported by the Reuters agency, and a short time later related videos from the moment of its downing were posted on social media.
Video of the Chinese Spy Balloon being shot down pic.twitter.com/cuJ255OSBs
— Phip (@phleeep) February 4, 2023
The United States tonight shot down the Chinese balloon that had been flying in its airspace for several days, the Pentagon announced.
A USAF F-22 fighter jet shot down the balloon with a AIM-9X missile off the coast of South Carolina in response to the “unacceptable violation” of US sovereignty, the statement said.
The ministry clarified that US President Joe Biden had given his approval for the downing since Wednesday, as long as this mission could be carried out without endangering the lives of American citizens.
In his statement Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asserts that this balloon was used by China in an attempt to monitor strategic locations in the continental US and that it was shot down within US territorial waters.
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In the footage broadcast by Fox News and CNN, the balloon can be seen losing height and falling vertically.
NEW: The FAA will halt flight departures to Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston in response to the Chinese surveillance balloon over the Carolinas. NBC’s Dan De Luce shares the latest reporting. https://t.co/nr36sXdRxm pic.twitter.com/OfezyKVYSg
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 4, 2023
Earlier, the airspace in this area had been closed to civilian aircraft and flights to and from three airports in North and South Carolina had been suspended for security reasons.
The Civil Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airspace has reopened and flights will resume as normal.
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