US monitors enigmatic balloon first seen over Hawaii

The United States Department of Defense is currently tracking an unidentified balloon floating through the airspace above Hawaii. Although the object's ownership remains uncertain, officials have found no indication of foreign or adversarial control. Moreover, the mysterious high-altitude balloon has not posed any direct threat to defense infrastructure, government-sensitive sites, or individuals on the ground.

First detected by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday, the unmanned object drifted along Hawaii's coastline at an altitude of approximately 36,000 feet. NBC News reported that the US has not ruled out the possibility of shooting down the balloon if it comes too close to land. Presently, the balloon is approaching Mexico.

This incident follows the recent shooting down of a large Chinese balloon near South Carolina's coast. An F-22 jet intercepted the object after its journey over several essential military installations. US intelligence officials concluded the balloon to be a spy vessel, a claim later rejected by Beijing. Despite prevention efforts, this device successfully gathered information from numerous sensitive American military sites.

In the subsequent weeks, the US and Canadian militaries addressed similar situations by shooting down various unidentified flying objects over Alaska and Canada. The White House later suggested these objects were either small weather balloons or airborne items launched by hobbyists.