US' 1st shot at flying object over Lake Huron missed: US' top general

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – The US military’s first shot at a unidentified object flying over one of the Great Lakes in the state of Michigan missed the mark, the US’ top general confirmed on Tuesday.

Asked about the mysterious high-altitude objects that have been recently taken down by missiles over US and Canadian territory, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, admitted that “on the fourth one, over Lake Huron, the first shot missed, the second shot hit.”

“We made sure that the airspace was clear of any commercial civilian and recreation traffic, we did the same thing for maritime space,” he added at a joint news conference with Secretary of State Lloyd Austin in Brussels after a meeting on Ukraine, stressing that they wanted to avoid collateral damage.

The missile that missed its target “landed harmlessly” in Lake Huron, he said.

According to the White House, there are no indications that three unidentified flying objects recently downed by American military jets were part of China's spy balloon program.

The US last week shot down three unidentified objects over Alaska, Canada’s Yukon region (at Canada’s request), and Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes.

The incidents came days after the US shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic, off the coast of South Carolina, on Feb. 4.

China has claimed the aircraft but said it was a weather balloon that blew off course.