South Florida residents report military planes and helicopters overhead

Residents in South Florida have been left spooked by reported military planes and helicopters flying around in the sky as officials cause further panic after stating it's all part of a mysterious 'rehearsal.' Locals took to social media and community apps in recent days to share pictures and videos of the aircrafts hovering overhead in Broward County, which includes cities like Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Cooper City, among others. On Wednesday evening, several people reported seeing and hearing low-flying aircraft in the area. A spokesperson with the North Perry Airport, located in Broward County, told the Daily Mail that they could not confirm if military aircrafts were flying around, but did say the area is expecting an 'incoming VIP.' The identity of that person was not shared.

The airport also said the sightings were part of some kind of 'rehearsal,' NBC6 reported. Details on that were not made clear. The mystifying airspace activity comes at a heightened time of unrest in America following the Trump administration's recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro,and Trump recently saying 'help is on the way'to protesting Iranians amid rising tensions between the Middle Eastern country and its anti-government demonstrators. Just yesterday, Iran taunted Trump, who owns a residence and golf course in the Sunshine State,with footage aired by the state broadcaster showing the Butler assassination attempt on the president, along with a message that read: 'This time, the bullet won't miss.'

Several worried Floridians expressed their concerns after spotting the suspicious planes and choppers in recent days. 'The amount of military aircraft(s) flying over Florida is not "training activity" normal. All I'm gonna say...,' one user wrote on Facebook. Another person asked: 'Why are military jets flying over Daytona Beach,' before adding: 'They just flew high and disappeared over the ocean.'

Others described how you can't miss the aircrafts swirling around, as a Facebook user posted: 'They were crazy loud and about 5 of them and before you could even look up to try to find them, they were gone!! 'I tried to get a video but they were too fast,' they added. On Thursday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard released a statement about a separate investigation conducted by the agency that involved an aerial and maritime search in the area's waters. 'Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders received a report of an unmanned, adrift vessel approximately 10 miles east of Cape Florida Lighthouse,' the agency said.

'Coast Guard Air Station Miami MH-65 helicopter aircrew and Station Miami Beach’s crew deployed and conducted search patterns with no findings. There were no reports of missing people. 'The case has been suspended, pending the development of new information.' A spokesperson with the agency told the Daily Mail the Coast Guard case was separate and could not comment on the recent aircraft sightings. The Daily Mail contacted the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Department of War for comment. The news comes months after Air Force fighter jets intercepted an unauthorized aircraft after it entered the no-fly zone over President Donald Trump's Florida home while he played golf at Mar-a-Lago in May.

North American Aerospace Defense Command said F-16 fighter jets fired off flares to get the attention of the civilian pilot while the president finished a round of golf at his West Palm Beach golf course. The intrusion did not alter Trump's schedule or impact his security, according to officials. Jets also conducted an interception the day before, shortly after Trump arrived at the course from his private Mar-a-Lago club and residence. 

Violations and intercepts are relatively routine, but at the time, NORAD raised an alarm over the frequency of the intrusions since Trump's inauguration in January of last year. The agency previously said it has responded to more than 20 incidents and blames civilian pilots for not following regulations requiring them to check for airspace restrictions before taking off. Federal officials maintain a permanent flight restriction over Trump's club that expands to a radius of 30 nautical miles when the president is in residence.