A Pentagon plan to use a high-energy, counter-drone laser without having coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration about potential risks to civilian flights prompted Wednesday’s unprecedented airspace shutdown over El Paso,

The US Federal Aviation Administration closed the airspace around the border city of El Paso, Texas, for 10 days, in an unusual move that authorities put down to unspecified “special security reasons....

The U.S. military shot down what it initially assessed to be a suspicious drone near El Paso, Texas, only to later determine the object was a party balloon, according to multiple reports.

The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday caused unease south of the U.S.-Mexico border and put the spotlight on the use of drones by Mexican cartels.