Authorities in several countries were alerted following sightings of a strange swirling object in the sky.Reports came in from Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries in the region, observers described the spectacle as a swirling, shining object that gave off a smoke trail. While rumors have persisted that the object was some sort of missile test there have been no confirmations of operations being carried out in the area at that time.
The object was first seen when journalist Rob Stevens posted an image to his Twitter account. Stevens wrote, "Just Seen a strange UFO over Fheis. It hovered, and then made a swirl and disappeared."
Ynet News reports that the missile test resulted in hundreds of calls to Israeli police stations. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the missile test originated in the Astrakhan region in central Russia and was spotted in several other countries along the way, including Armenia, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
"It most likely spun out of control and its remnants and the fuel was what people saw," Israeli Astronomical Association Chairman Dr. Yigal Pat-El told Ynet News. "It reached a height of 200-300 kilometers and that's why it was seen from so many locations."
The Jerusalem Post Yaakov Lappin also confirmed the test, tweeting: "Mysterious light explained. Russia announces it carried out successful inter-continental ballistic missile test."
You can view several other videos of the missile sighting taken from Syria and one allegedly shot in Iran.
Video game players may appreciate the observation of one particular YouTube commenter, who said of the video Alan Wake: "IN SPACE!_ Great flashlight."