Chinese spy balloon retrieved from the ocean. Watch what US found

The U.S. military on Saturday 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 aircraft and threatened repercussions.

President Joe Biden issued the order but had wanted the balloon downed even earlier, on Wednesday.

He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water, U.S. officials said.

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 criticized the U.S. for "an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice."

The presence of the balloon in the skies above the U.S. this week dealt a severe blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations that have been in a downward spiral for years.

The giant white orb was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the Atlantic coast.

About 2:39 p.m. EST, an F-22 fighter jet fired a missile at the balloon, puncturing it while it was about 6 nautical miles off the coast near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, senior defense officials said.