Pentagon releases photos of Navy pulling wreckage of Chinese spy balloon out of sea
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Red Zeppelin Recovered: Pentagon Releases Footage of Navy Pulling Chinese Spy Balloon Wreckage Out of Atlantic Ocean as Beijing Warns Biden It Will Resolutely Safeguard His Rightful Rights ‘After F-22 Shot Down ‘Unmanned Airship’
- The United States has released photos showing the recovery of the alleged spy balloon.
- The effort, currently underway off the South Carolina coast, has taken days.
- Beijing insists the unconfirmed craft was deployed for “meteorological purposes”
The Pentagon has released photos showing the Navy’s recovery of a suspected downed Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean.
The mission, currently taking place off the coast of South Carolina, took days and comes as relations between Beijing and Washington deteriorated rapidly after the high-altitude shootdown of the plane on Saturday.
Defense officials confirmed earlier in the week that an amphibious warfare ship, as well as several divers and underwater robots, had been deployed to survey a specific ‘square mile’ of ocean where the balloon wreckage was thought to be located.
Photos released Tuesday morning show the fruits of those efforts, with sailors assigned to the Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group hauling the wreckage out of the open sea.
Meanwhile, Beijing insists the unconfirmed craft was deployed for “meteorological purposes” and has spoken out vehemently against its destruction.
The Pentagon has released photos showing the Navy’s recovery of a suspected downed Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean.
The spy balloon is seen drifting over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, with a fighter jet and its wake below.
Adding insult to injury, the Pentagon confirmed on Saturday that a second Chinese “surveillance balloon” was seen flying over Latin America. That vessel, detected near the Colombian port city of Cartagena, is being investigated.
Over the weekend, as Chinese officials continued to vouch for their innocence, the officials released footage of the F-22 Raptor jet that shot down the unmanned balloon.
Republican leaders are now demanding the resignation of Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over the latest incident.
Photos posted Tuesday morning. Sailors assigned to the Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group were seen pulling the remains of the unconfirmed spy ship out of the open ocean.
David Stillwell, who served as assistant secretary of state for the Office of East Asian and Pacific Affairs under the Trump administration, told DailyMail.com that the balloon was likely a form of mind game by Beijing before the meeting between Sec Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“This demonstrates a common Beijing tactic to test others before important meetings.”
He pointed out that in 2007 the Chinese fired an anti-satellite weapon at the then Sec. of Defense. Robert Gates came to the nation. The United States did not cancel, but “should have,” Stillwell said.
The recovery operation comes shortly after officials released footage of the F-22 Raptor jet that shot down the unmanned balloon on Saturday.
Chinese state media have accused the US of using the recent incident involving an alleged Chinese spy balloon as a political ploy to inflame tensions between Washington and Beijing.
‘Beijing loves to play in the gray zone. Is this a surveillance operation? Is it a weather balloon? The fact is, it doesn’t matter,” Stillwell said.
The spy balloon sightings are currently being investigated by the Department of Justice.