NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. — Drone activity forced runways at New York’s Stewart Airfield to shut down Friday night, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

“Last night, the runways at Stewart Airfield were shut down for approximately one hour due to drone activity in the airspace. This has gone too far,” Hochul said in a statement released Saturday morning. 

Hochul’s statement echoes a growing frustration among Tri-State Area lawmakers demanding answers from the federal government about the drones’ origins amid numerous reports of them flying over New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

White House officials have deemed suspected threats from the drones to be “not credible” and said many sightings are likely just of planes. 

Growing frustration with drones

Local officials have expressed angst over the federal response, especially after drones were reported over New York City. 

“The people of Staten Island deserve answers, and the people of this city and state and region deserve answers of what the heck is going on,” Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said. 

Hochul’s statement Saturday also called on federal lawmakers to pass a law strengthening the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight of drones: 

“In mid-November, I directed the New York State Intelligence Center to actively investigate drone sightings and coordinate with federal law enforcement to address this issue, and those efforts are ongoing. But in order to allow state law enforcement to work on this issue, I am now calling on Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act. This bill would reform legal authorities to counter-UAS and strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones, and would extend counter-UAS activities to select state and local law enforcement agencies.”

“Extending these powers to New York State and our peers is essential. Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden Administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people.”

New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith scheduled a press conference to give an update on drone activity Saturday in Seaside Heights. Smith said he also plans to unveil new federal legislation to address the issue.   

It comes after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy sent a letter to President Biden, asking for the federal government’s help addressing the drones. 

“While I am sincerely grateful for your administration’s leadership in addressing this concerning issue, it has become apparent that more resources are needed to fully understand what is behind this activity,” Murphy wrote. 

Drone sightings have also been reported in Pennsylvania and other cities along the East Coast. 

contributed to this report.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that American officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad’s government but is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others.

Blinken is the first U.S. official to publicly confirm contacts between the Biden administration and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led a coalition of armed opposition groups that ousted Assad from power last Sunday.

Speaking at a news conference in Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken would not discuss details of the contacts but said it was important for the U.S. to convey messages to the group about its conduct and how it intends to govern in a transition period.

“Yes, we have been in contact with HTS and with other parties,” Blinken said. He added that “our message to the Syrian people is this: We want them to succeed and we’re prepared to help them do so.”

Blinken also said that officials are “also communicating directly with those in positions of authority in Syria.” 

HTS, which was once an affiliate of al-Qaida, has been designed as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department since 2018. That designation carries with it severe sanctions, including a ban on the provision of any “material support” to the group or its members. The sanctions do not, however, legally bar U.S. officials from communicating with designated groups.

In an interview Saturday on Syrian television, the group’s leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, did not address any direct contact with the United States, but said the new authorities in Damascus, the capital, are in touch with Western embassies.

HTS has worked to establish security and start a political transition after seizing Damascus and has tried to reassure a public both stunned by Assad’s fall and concerned about extremist jihadis among the rebels. Insurgent leaders say the group has broken with its extremist past.

Al-Sharaa appeared in a video message Friday congratulating “the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution.”

U.S. officials say al-Sharaa has been making welcome comments about protecting minority and women’s rights but remain skeptical that he will follow through on them in the long run.

“We know that what happens inside of Syria can have powerful consequences well beyond its borders, from mass displacement to terrorism, and we know that we can’t underestimate the challenges of this moment and in the weeks and months ahead,” Blinken said Saturday. 

On Friday, the rebels and Syria’s unarmed opposition worked to safely turn over to U.S. officials an American man who had been imprisoned by Assad.

Blinken said U.S. officials are continuing “our own dogged, determined efforts” as they search for Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared 12 years ago near Damascus.

“We have impressed upon everyone we’ve been in contact with the importance of helping find Austin Tice and bringing him home,” Blinken said.

Travis Timmerman, the American who said he was freed from a Syrian prison after Assad’s ouster, was taken out of the country by the U.S. military, CBS News reported earlier this week.