NATO jet scrambled over flock of birds near Lithuanian airport

A NATO fighter jet was scrambled and Vilnius International Airport was temporarily closed on Sunday after a radar object was detected near Lithuania's capital, an incident later attributed to a flock of birds. The Lithuanian National Crisis Management Center said the alert was issued after an unidentified object was spotted, prompting the closure of the airport and a military response. The center stated the alert was lifted and the airport reopened within approximately 40 minutes after the NATO jet visually identified the object as birds. The jet, an Italian Eurofighter Typhoon, was deployed from the Siauliai airbase in northern Lithuania as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission. The center explained that on initial radar readings, marks left by birds and drones can appear similar, leading to the initial misidentification. The incident occurred amid heightened regional tensions and recent reports of drone incursions into Baltic airspace. Lithuanian military officials have previously stated that Russian-made Gerbera drones, originally fired at Ukrainian cities, have landed inside Lithuanian territory.