The U.S. tracks a Chinese "spy" balloon over its lands

Shafaq News/ The United States government detected a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the United States

"We continue to track and monitor it closely." Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told NBC News.

"Once the balloon was detected, the U.S. government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information," Ryder said.

The balloon was first spotted over Montana and is still hovering over the U.S.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry explained that the airship is from China and is civilian, used for meteorological and other scientific research.

"Due to the influence of winds and its limited control capability, the airship deviated from its intended course," the Ministry pointed out that it would continue communication with Washington to handle the situation.

Later, in a press briefing, Ryder expressed the Pentagon's rejection China'sa’s explanation, insisting that it is a "surveillance balloon."

"The fact is, we know that it's a surveillance balloon…We know that it violated U.S. airspace and international law, which is unacceptable."