U.S. F-16 warplanes intercepted two Russian bombers in international airspace near Alaska on Tuesday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said. The Tu-95 bombers were intercepted after "entering and operating within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone," NORAD said in a statement.
The Air Defense Identification Zone, or ADIZ, is a perimeter in which air traffic is monitored beyond the border of national airspace to provide additional reaction time in case of hostile actions.
While tensions are high between the United States and Russia over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, NORAD said the bombers were not seen as a threat.