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       The Pentagon shot down an unknown object flying in US airspace off the coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.

       The object was flying at about 13,000 metres and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, said John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman. He described the object as roughly the size of a small car. Commercial airliners and private jets can fly as high as 13,700 metres.

       Asked about the object's downing, Biden said only that “It was a success.”

       US officials say Chinese spy balloon flew over top secret nuclear bases

       It was the second time in a week US officials had downed some type of flying object over the United States. On Saturday fighter jets shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

       White House officials drew significant differences between the two episodes. Kirby said it wasn't yet known who owned the object, and he did not say it was a balloon. Officials also couldn't say if there was any surveillance equipment on it. He also didn't know where it came from or its purpose.

       "The president takes his obligations to protect our national security interests as paramount." John Kirby

       White House National Security Council spokesman

       Kirby maintained that Biden, based on the advice of the Pentagon, believed it posed enough of a concern to shoot it out of the sky — primarily because of the potential risk to civilian aircraft.

       “We’re going to remain vigilant about our airspace," Kirby said. "The president takes his obligations to protect our national security interests as paramount."

       The president was briefed on the presence of the object Thursday evening after two fighter jets surveilled it.

       Kirby said fight pilots visually examining the object ascertained that it was not manned.

       The object fell into frigid waters and officials expected they could recover debris faster than from last week's massive balloon.

       Canada co-operation

       Ahead of the shoot-down, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted flights over a roughly 26-square kilometre area within US airspace off Alaska's Bullen Point, the site of a disused US Air Force radar station on the Beaufort Sea about 210 kilometres from the Canadian border, inside the Arctic Circle.

       Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet Friday that he had been briefed and supported the decision. “Our military and intelligence services will always work together," he said.

       After the object was detected Thursday, NORAD — North American Aerospace Defense Command —sent F-35s to observe it, a US official said, adding that the military queried US government agencies to make sure it did not belong to any of them and had confidence it was not a US government or military asset. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about sensitive national security matters and spoke on condition of anonymity.

       Because it was much smaller than the suspected Chinese spy balloon, there were fewer safety concerns about downing it over land, so the decision was made to shoot it down when it was possible. That happened over water.

       The mystery around what exactly the flying object was lingered late into Friday night. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a statement saying it was “not a National Weather Service balloon.”

       "They do not hover," said NOAA spokesperson Scott Smullen.

       Beijing calls US claims over 'spy' balloons 'information warfare'

       China tensions

       The development came almost a week after the US shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian craft and threatened repercussions.

       Biden issued the order but had wanted the balloon downed even earlier. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.

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       China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticised the US for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”

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       Five days after Turkey and Syria were rocked by a catastrophic earthquake, both presidents visited areas left devastated by its impact.

       Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited an aid hub in the town of Adiyaman, a place badly hit by the 7.8 quake early Monday morning. Meanwhile, his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad visited Aleppo, Syria's second biggest city.

       The 7.8 magnitude tremor hit the border region between Turkey and Syria, an area home to more than 13.5 million people. Around 23,000 people have so far died due to the natural disaster.

       Erdogan in Adiyaman

       The Turkish government has distributed millions of hot meals, as well as tents and blankets, but was still struggling to reach many people in need.

       Speaking to the press, Erdogan said that "words are not enough" in describing the pain felt throughout the country.

       Although aware of the scale of the task ahead, the Turkish president said search-and-rescue efforts would continue until no one is left trapped beneath the rubble of the thousands of destroyed buildings.

       He promises to rebuild the area within the year and also said the government would subsidise rents for one year for people unwilling to stay in tents.

       Erdogan, who faces tough elections in May, has acknowledged a slow government response in the initial stages of the quake.

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       Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday pledged to "work non-stop" to help the victims of the devastating earthquake that shook parts of Syria and Turkey.

       Assad spoke to reporters in the demolished Masharqa neighbourhood of Aleppo during his first visit to the quake zone following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake.

       "Syrians don't talk, they take action," Assad said.

       "We as Syrians if we went to send a message, one can get it from 12 years of steadfastness, confrontation, and adhering to values, principles, and sovereignty. This is more eloquent than any word. I promise to work nonstop," he added.

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       The devastating damage to Aleppo, Syria’s second and largest city, compounds the war torn city that has years of bombardment in the 12-year conflict, much of it by Assad's forces and those of his ally, Russia.

       During his visit to Aleppo on Friday, Assad visited Aleppo University Hospital and then met with rescuers in Masharqua, where paramedics on Thursday removed the bodies of 44 people and seven others alive from one building.

       World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr Michael Ryan, WHO’s head of emergencies, were also arriving in Aleppo on Friday to help coordinate and support the delivery of aid.

       Russia has sent 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Syria and the US has temporarily lifted sanctions related to the provision of disaster relief. The earthquake has left around 3,000 people dead in Syria, and more than 20,000 over the border in Turkey.