According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the United States believes that the objects shot down Friday and Saturday over North American airspace were balloons.
Since its military destroyed a suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this month, Washington has been on high alert.
Mr. Schumer told that Beijing was likely using a “crew of balloons” that had “probably been all over the world.” He did not specifically state that the two most recent objects were Chinese.
In the past week, three objects have been shot down over North America.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed Saturday’s Yukon shootdown.
Both Canadian and American aircraft were dispatched to track the object, which, according to Mr. Trudeau, “violated Canadian airspace.” It was destroyed by an American F-22 fighter jet.
On Sunday, Mr. Trudeau said there was “much to learn” as rescue teams searched for the object.
Separately, the American military shot down a small car-sized object off the coast of Alaska on Friday.
This happened on February 4, a week after the US destroyed a Chinese balloon over the Atlantic.
Mr. Schumer implied that surveillance balloons had been operating for years and that Congress should investigate. Why it took so long for the United States to discover their existence.
“The bottom line is that until a few months ago. Neither our intelligence nor our military was aware of these balloons,” he said.
Mr. Schumer, citing a briefing from national security adviser Jake Sullivan, stated that the two most recent objects were smaller than the initial balloon.
Recent things shot down were likely balloons
When asked if China would have to discontinue its balloon-based surveillance program, he stated that Beijing had been “humiliated.”
“I believe the Chinese were caught lying, which is a major setback for them… They look dreadful “he said.
“This crew of balloons is not limited to the United States; they’ve probably traveled the globe,” he added.
China has not yet responded to Mr. Schumer’s remarks but has denied that the first suspected surveillance balloon, which entered US airspace for the first time on 28 January, was used for espionage, claiming it was a weather balloon that went astray.
Referring to efforts to remove the newest object on Saturday. The White House said in a statement that the object had been tracked and watched for 24 hours.
It stated, “Out of an abundance of caution and on the advice of their militaries, President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau authorized its removal.”
“The leaders discussed the necessity of recovering the object to learn more about its function or origin.”
The US Department of Defense elaborated on the mission to destroy the object by confirming two F-22 fighters took off from an Alaskan military facility and an AIM 9X missile was used to destroy the target.
Poor weather is hindering ongoing efforts to locate and recover the object that was lost on Friday near the Alaskan community of Deadhorse.
The US military issued a statement indicating that “Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and short daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adapt recovery activities to ensure safety.”
Near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, debris from the first Chinese balloon landed in 47 feet (14 meters) of water, which was shallower than officials had anticipated.
The United States stated that the balloon was part of a fleet of surveillance balloons that had traversed five continents.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a trip to Beijing in response to the balloon incident. Which has damaged US-China relations.
The Chinese government has accused the United States of “political manipulation and exaggeration.”
President Biden defended his handling of the matter in an interview on Thursday. Claiming that the balloon was not “a serious breach.”
