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Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - VILNIUS — NATO scrambled two Italian Eurofighter jets on Sunday after a suspected drone entered Lithuanian airspace, with falling debris damaging a moving civilian vehicle in the country's north, officials said.
The incident prompted an investigation involving Lithuanian and Polish authorities amid growing concerns over the spillover of Russia's war against Ukraine into NATO territory.
"We can confirm that this morning, two Italian Eurofighter jets were scrambled in response to the presence of a drone in Lithuanian airspace. The aircraft were operating under NATO command," an alliance official said, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
The official said NATO was investigating the incident and remained in close contact with Lithuanian authorities.
"NATO is ready and able to respond to any potential threat, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to safeguard our territory and protect our population," the official added.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said preliminary findings suggested the unidentified object had entered Lithuania from neighboring Poland, according to public broadcaster LRT.
"I have already contacted the Polish defence minister and asked Poland to join the investigation so that we can look into this incident together," Kaunas told reporters.
Authorities confirmed that debris struck a vehicle traveling from Birzai toward Pasvalys in northern Lithuania. No injuries were reported.
Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said the driver heard an explosion shortly before debris hit the vehicle, leaving a dent in its door.
Police cordoned off the area and began collecting evidence to determine the object's origin and the circumstances of the incident.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania's National Crisis Management Center, told LRT Radio that the object was most likely a Ukrainian drone that had strayed into Lithuanian airspace during Kyiv's strikes on Russia's St. Petersburg region.
However, authorities have yet to establish the drone's origin or intended destination.
Kaunas said poor weather conditions prevented the NATO pilots from visually identifying the object after their aircraft were scrambled.
The defense minister also raised concerns about the country's emergency warning system, questioning why an air alert had been issued only in northern Lithuania.
He described the situation as "strange and unacceptable" and instructed the military to submit a detailed report.
Authorities will also investigate whether public warnings were delayed and whether established security procedures were followed.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda warned that the incident highlighted the growing risks posed to neighboring countries by the war in Ukraine.
He said Russia's war against Ukraine "is spilling over onto the Eastern flank of NATO and EU."
"What appears to be a drone exploded over the northern part of the country, posing a danger to the civilian population," Nauseda wrote on X.
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