The three unidentified flying objects (UFOs) that were shot down by the U.S. military over the weekend were "not engaged in hostile actions," according to sources with knowledge of an unclassified briefing for members of the House of Representatives Tuesday, but the military could not rule out whether a hostile country may have sent them.

A source with knowledge of the House briefing told WHD News Digital that the military determination that the UFOs weren’t hostile was "a determination about offensive capability not a determination as to motive or source country."

So therefore, the military's "legal assessment" is that the objects were "not engaged in hostile actions," but they could not rule out whether a hostile country may have sent them.

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WHD News learned that the House lawmakers were briefed by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs Melissa Dalton, Director of All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office Sean Kirkpatrick, Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Commander Gen. Glen VanHerck of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command.

FILE PHOTO: A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it floats off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023.  REUTERS/Randall Hill/File Photo (Reuters)

The source also said that the three objects shot down over the weekend were substantially different in size than the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down a week before over the coast of South Carolina. One was shaped more closely to a balloon-like object and the other two were the size of an ATV.

The Chinese spy balloon differed, as it was 200 feet tall, and the payload was 90 feet across. 

The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. (REUTERS/Randall Hill      TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Remnants of the Chinese balloon have been collected by the military this week. During the House briefing Tuesday, members were told that the U.S. so far has recovered "censors, solar panels, propulsion systems" and they expect to gain significant intelligence from the rest of the debris.

Additionally, the three objects shot down over the weekend were "slow moving and at high altitude" due to what their range is, so that’s the reason why they weren’t caught initially by U.S. air systems. 

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The White House said on Friday President Joe Biden would not shoot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon, despite calls from lawmakers and others. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via WHD/Keith Tsuji/Getty Images)

Questions continue to pile up on the origin and purpose of the objects. Commander of U.S. Northern Command Gen. Glen VanHerck said Sunday that he hasn’t "ruled out anything" on whether there could be an extraterrestrial origin for the three most recently shot-down objects and that the intelligence community would make that determination.

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"I'll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out. I haven't ruled out anything," VanHerck told reporters. But on Monday, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre there is "no indication of aliens or [extra]terrestrial activity with these recent takedowns."

WHD News' Kelly Phares contributed to this report.