US fighter aircraft shot down an 'object' threatening flights over Alaska just days after downing a Chinese spy balloon

• The US military shot down an 'object' Friday, the White House said.
• The White House said it is unclear who owns the object, which was a threat to civilian flight.
• The downing of the object comes days after a Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down.

The US military shot down an unidentified object in US airspace over Alaska on Friday afternoon, top officials said. 

"I can confirm that the Department of Defense was tracking a high-altitude object over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours. The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at a briefing.