During a House Committee hearing on “unidentified, unusual phenomena,” videos were presented, allegedly depicting missiles being launched in 2024 at an object referred to as an “orb” off the coast of Yemen.
The videos were part of a task force convened to discuss the declassification of federal secrets, focusing on “unidentified anomalous phenomena” (UAP), which refers to unexplained objects spotted in the sky.
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) indicated that the footage was captured on October 30, 2024, showcasing an unidentified object tracked by an MQ-9 drone, commonly known as a Reaper.
Burlison stated that a second MQ-9 drone, not visible in the video, launched a Hellfire missile at the object.
The footage appears to show a missile speeding from the left side of the screen, striking the object, which then appears to deform and fall, with a small item faintly emerging from behind it.
Burlison commented, “It continued, and it looked like the fragments were drawn to it. I’m not going to speculate on what it is, but why are we being kept from this information?”
He added that the video originates from whistleblowers and that an independent review is currently underway.
The Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets was established in February by the House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, to “examine the Confidentialization of Materials in the Public Interest.” I stated it back then.
Tuesday’s hearing was titled “Restore public trust through UAP transparency and whistleblower protection.”
The public has long been intrigued by the existence of UAPs, often known as UFOs, which could signify evidence of extraterrestrial life or undisclosed programs, yet neither narrative has provided definitive proof.
In November 2024, the Pentagon released its annual report on UAPs, stating that some reported sightings were identified as balloons, birds, or unmanned aerial systems.
According to the report, several cases were closed due to insufficient evidence for analysis, while 21 cases were flagged for further investigation. The Department of Defense’s All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office is leading the charge to gather and analyze UAP reports.
The report emphasizes, “To date, AARO has not found evidence of extraterrestrial existence, activity, or technology.”
Furthermore, it noted that “none of these resolved cases demonstrate advanced foreign hostile capabilities or groundbreaking aerospace technology.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) expressed during the hearing that skepticism regarding UAPs leads to rushed conclusions.
“For too long, the matter of unidentified, unusual phenomena, commonly referred to as UAPs, has been shrouded in secrecy, stigma, and sometimes outright dismissal,” she stated. “Today, I want to clarify: this is not science fiction or conjecture.”
She emphasized that this issue pertains to national security and “the right of the American people to know,” noting she has engaged with many military whistleblowers.
U.S. Air Force veteran Dylan Boland recounted at the hearing that he encountered a UAP in 2012 while stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
Borland, an expert in geospatial information, described returning to the barracks to witness “a long, 100-foot equilateral triangle taking off near the base’s NASA hangar.”
“The craft that disrupted my phone was silent, and its material appeared fluid or dynamic,” he reported. “I was directly beneath this triangular craft for several minutes, and in seconds it ascended to commercial jet elevation without any noticeable motion impairment, sound, or wind displacement.”
It remains unclear what the object was off the coast of Yemen when the missile was reportedly fired.
Luna shared with NBC News on Tuesday evening that she is uncertain about the object’s identity in the video, but believes the public deserves both answers and access to a video that has been overly classified by the government.
“I haven’t heard of balloons that can behave like this particular object,” she remarked.
“But what I assert is that, in the name of science and national security, we must obtain answers to these questions and treat this issue with the seriousness it warrants,” she concluded.
Military tensions around Yemen heightened after Houthi rebels targeted commercial vessels in November 2023. Iran-backed extremists claimed their objective was to support Hamas amid the conflict in Gaza.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
