Lithuania closes Vilnius airport, NATO summons jets in response to possible drone

VILNIUS, Sept 13 - Lithuania closed Vilnius airport on Sunday and NATO summoned at least one fighter jet in response to a possible sighting of a drone in Lithuanian airspace, the country's National Crisis Management Centre said.

The air alert was lifted and the airport reopened after about an hour, the centre said.

A jet was summoned from Siauliai in northern Lithuania, the centre said, where the Italian air force is currently based as part of the NATO Baltic Air Defence mission.

Countries along NATO's eastern edge have reported a series of drones straying into their airspace linked to the conflict stemming from Russia's 2022 full scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Vilnius marathon, which was taking place in the capital, was not interrupted, the organisers told Reuters. REUTERS