February 4, 2023
By
Cypher9ja
For the last week, the nation has been gripped by the biggest balloon story since 2009’s “Balloon Boy.” A mysterious balloon cruised across the nation, first spotted over Idaho. It was soon revealed to be from China and alleged to be surveilling the country. It became known as the “Chinese spy balloon.” It even caused a minor international incident. But on Saturday, mere hours after President Joe Biden vowed to “take care of it,” the balloon met its maker over the coast of South Carolina.
As per The Associated Press, Air Force fighter aircraft shot down the balloon Saturday afternoon as it made its way over the Atlantic Ocean. Before the operation went into play, the FAA closed down air space while the Coast Guard told mariners to leave the area, warning that operation could prove a “significant hazard.” The shooting down of the balloon was caught live on Fox News, who happened to have a feed on air.
Fox News airs live footage of the Chinese spy balloon coming down after it was shot.
“First of all, well done!” Gen. Jack Keane exclaims while watching it float down. pic.twitter.com/QYkxQhJpNf
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) February 4, 2023
There were plenty of other videos of it from different angles.
Biden was first briefed on the balloon on Tuesday and he initially talked about taking it out then. Pentagon officials advised otherwise, arguing that it was a potential risk to those on the ground. Better, they said, to wait until the balloon was over the Atlantic Ocean.
During its tour of the United States, the balloon made a diagonal path from Idaho to the Carolinas, where it perished. Before it was gunned down, it was the size of three school buses and it tended to fly at about 60,000 over the ground.
The appearance of the balloon over America prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a visit to Beijing. China denied that it was a balloon made for spying, claiming it was made by civilians for meteorological research. Numerous figures on the right had reckless suggestions for how to handle the balloon, including Fox News host Jesse Watters telling regular Joes to shoot it down. Luckily cooler heads prevailed.
(Via The AP)
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