NBC News quoted three US officials as saying the army was tracking a “mysterious” balloon that flew over US soil.
Officials said the balloon flew over parts of Hawaii but did not pass over any vulnerable areas.
The US military has been tracking the balloon since the end of the week and classifying it as not posing any threat to air traffic or national security or sending any signals, one official said.
The US representative did not rule out the possibility of the army dropping the balloon if it approaches the ground, explaining that it is not yet known whether it is intended to study the weather.
Officials indicated that the flying object was unable to maneuver and was moving slowly towards Mexico, and that they do not believe it belongs to the Chinese.
It is worth noting that in February last year, the US military shot down a balloon over the Atlantic Ocean, which the Chinese allegedly used to gather intelligence.
