An American fighter plane intercepted a small balloon flying at a high altitude over the state of Utah. Authorities said that they would continue to track it, but they clarified that it did not pose a threat to national security or air traffic.
Unidentified flying objects have sparked tension between the United States and China since last year. In February 2023, the US military shot down a large Chinese balloon that was spotted over a number of nuclear weapons sites. Beijing denied that it was a spy balloon, saying it was used to collect weather data.