Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Tebboune: Achieving economic integration must not remain a dream.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf delivers a speech on behalf of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the Fifth Arab Development, Economic, and Social Summit in Baghdad.
Mustafa: We reaffirm our commitment to work with our brothers and friends around the world for stability and an end to wars.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa: We stress the importance of reaching an agreement to implement the initiatives of the Development, Economic, and Social Summit.
Aboul Gheit: The global economy is going through a period of turbulence.
Aboul Gheit: Concrete solutions must be found for the issue of Arab food security in line with the strategy proposed at the Arab Summit in Baghdad.
Aboul Gheit: Arab national security is an integrated whole that cannot be achieved without food, social, cyber, and other forms of security.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit: We present a comprehensive Arab strategy for food security at the Arab Development Summit.
The closing statement of the Arab Summit: We reaffirm our absolute rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people and call for the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.
The closing statement of the Arab Summit: The goal of the Arab Summit is to unify our efforts and achieve the interests of the peoples of our region.

Chinese balloon poses no threat to people on ground: Pentagon

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 4 Feb 2023 00:17
2 Min Read

The US Pentagon assures that the Chinese balloon flying over the US poses no threat to people on the ground.

  • x
  • (Source: CNN)
    (Source: CNN)

Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said Friday that the Chinese research balloon that accidentally breached US airspace on Thursday poses no threat to people on the ground.

Ryder told a press conference that the balloon was a surveillance balloon, adding, "We do assess at this time that it does not pose a physical threat to people on the ground."

"Clearly, it is a balloon that has a payload underneath it… It's got a large payload – the surveillance component – underneath the actual balloon piece of it." 

Ryder added that the balloon was expected to hover over the US for several more days. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is continuing to track it. 

At present time, shooting down the balloon may injure civilians or damage property, Ryder said, noting that it was currently around 60,000 feet above the ground, specifically above the zone where civilian aircraft operate.

Ryder also noted that the balloon was maneuverable. 

Read more: China says working to 'verify' reports it flew spy balloon over US

Related News

Trump foreign gifts raise alarms over ethics, influence amid Gulf ties

FIFA chief faces backlash over Gulf trip with Trump amid Congress

On Thursday, the Pentagon said it was tracking a Chinese 'spy' balloon flying high over the US, sparking a wave of panic across the country. 

A senior defense official told reporters that at US President Joe Biden's request, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and top military officials considered shooting the balloon down but decided that doing so would endanger too many people on the ground.

"Clearly, the intent of this balloon is for surveillance," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, considered.

Earlier today, Beijing's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said via a spokesperson that China regretted the unintended breach of US airspace.

The spokesperson said that the device had strayed away from its planned course due to force majeure. 

"The airship is from China," the statement reads. "It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes."

"Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into the US airspace due to force majeure," said the spokesperson.

Read more: Pentagon says cataloged more than 500 accounts of UFO encounters

  • United States
  • Chinese research balloon
  • China

Most Read

Two F-35 jets arrive at it's new operational base Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah. (AP)

F-35 near-misses over Yemen signal new risks for 'Israel': Forbes

  • Politics
  • 14 May 2025
Palestinians pray over bodies of people killed in the Israeli bombardment who were brought from the Shifa hospital before burying them in a mass grave in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP )

Gaza casualty figures mask a much bigger horror, new study shows

  • Politics
  • 11 May 2025
Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

  • Politics
  • 15 May 2025
Abu Obaida

Abu Obeida posts shortly after Israeli reports about his assassination

  • Palestine
  • 15 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
A Microsoft sign and logo are pictured at the company's headquarters, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Redmond, Wash. (AP)
Technology

Microsoft admits supplying AI to 'Israel' amid Gaza carnage

Israeli occupation’s tanks parked in a staging area near the border with Gaza, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP)
Politics

'Israel' launches multi-axis assault in Gaza under 'Gideon’s Chariots'

People stand at the train ticket counter of NJ Transit at Penn Station, amid a strike by New Jersey Transit train engineers, in New York, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP)
Economy

Commuters stranded amid first New Jersey railway strike in 40 years

Trump's tax bill stalls as Republican opposition demands deeper cuts
US & Canada

Trump's tax bill stalls as Republican opposition demands deeper cuts

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS