RIGA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Latvian armed forces confirmed on Friday that a NATO fighter jet operating under the Baltic Air Policing mission shot down an unidentified foreign drone that had violated the country's airspace in the northeastern region of Balvi.

According to a statement released by the Latvian National Armed Forces on social media, the interception occurred early Friday morning, and the incident prompted local authorities to issue temporary air raid alerts in the eastern municipalities of Rezekne, Balvi, and Aluksne, and were later lifted.

This marked at least the third violation of Latvian airspace this year.