So that crazy selfie with the spy balloon? It's real.

CNN first reported that nan photograph had been taken and had quickly gained “legendary status” successful subject circles.

The high-altitude surveillance craft had been sent up arsenic nan balloon traversed nan U.S., and nan Pentagon later cited imagery taken by nan pilots to opportunity nan airship was “capable of conducting signals intelligence postulation operations.”

An Air Force combatant pitchy shot nan balloon down connected Feb. 4 and “the mostly of nan balloon, including nan payload, was recovered,” said Singh.

The Pentagon wrapped up hunt operations successful nan area disconnected South Carolina past week and referred reporters to nan FBI for specifications connected what was recovered.

After nan first Chinese balloon incident, 3 different unidentified objects flying complete North America were destroyed by U.S. forces conscionable wrong a small complete a week. Those objects were not believed to beryllium from China aliases to airs a nationalist information threat. The U.S. subject did disclose, however, that they’ve observed Chinese surveillance balloons flying complete nan Middle East and Afghanistan successful caller years.

President Joe Biden was criticized by Republicans for how nan management handled nan Chinese balloon incident, including waiting until it was complete h2o earlier destroying it. However, lawmakers passed resolutions condemning China for nan balloon.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met pinch Wang Yi, head of China’s Office of nan Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, on nan sidelines of nan Munich Security Conference past week astir nan business and nan consequences of Chinese surveillance of nan U.S. Blinken stated connected NBC that Wang offered nary apology.

Wang publically condemned nan U.S. astatine nan convention for nan country’s consequence to what China claims was a upwind monitoring instrumentality and accused nan U.S. of warmongering.

Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.