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What are the mystery objects being shot down over North America?

Washington is unsure what the three flying objects it shot out of the skies over North America were - and how they were able to fly.

US officials are facing mounting pressure to explain the downing of unidentified objects flying over North America in recent days. The US military says it is unsure what the objects were - and how they were able to stay aloft. President Joe Biden ordered another object to be downed on Sunday. It鈥檚 the fourth such incident since the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon on 4 February. A US military commander said the object could be a "gaseous type of balloon" or "some type of a propulsion system". But he added he could not rule out that the objects were extra-terrestrials. Meanwhile Beijing says the United States has been flying balloons over Chinese airspace. The foreign ministry said this happened on more than ten occasions since last January.

So what is the likelihood of the latest ballons that were shot down being Chinese? Newshour鈥檚 Paul Henley spoke to Emily de la Bruyere, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

(Picture: Military Jets in Flight. Two F-16's in formation Credit: Getty / CT757fan)

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3 minutes