The operation marks the third day in a row that an unidentified object was shot down over North American airspace. An unidentified object was shot down over northern Canada on Saturday. On Friday, an unidentified object was shot down in Alaska airspace by a US F-22.
An F-22 fighter jet of US shot down an unidentified object over Canada on February 11, the second such incident in North America amid heightened alert following a week-long Chinese spying balloon saga.
"I ordered the takedown of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. North American Aerospace Defense Command shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian & US aircraft were scrambled & a US F-22 successfully fired at the object," tweeted Trudeau.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the Department of Defense shot down a "high altitude object" that was in Alaska's airspace in the last 24 hours.
"Most likely, China sent the balloon to test US counter surveillance capabilities," said Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis. He was previously country director for China in the Office of the Secretary of Defence.
The Border Security Force (BSF) shot down a Pakistani drone in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday near the International Border in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar sector, and seized six kilogrammes of narcotics.
"Last night BSF Soldiers found the drone activity on the international border at the Rear Kakkar area. As soon as the BSF discovered the drone activity, BSF soldiers shot down the drone. After searching it, BSF found one Pakistani drone along with 5kg heroin," BSF Commandant Ghansham Dass sa
Border Security Force (BSF) troops shot down an alleged Pakistani drone along the Indo-Pak border which intruded the Amritsar sector on the intervening night of February 2 to February 3 at 2:30 AM. The drone entered the area of responsibility of the Border Observation Post (BOP) Rear Kakk