A Chinese fighter jet fired flares toward an Australian helicopter participating in a mission to monitor North Korea sanctions in the Yellow Sea this month, according to Canberra, accusing China of endangering the aircraft and its crew.

Australian authorities alleged that the Chinese jet launched the flares toward the Royal Australian Navy MH-60R Seahawk operating from the HMAS Hobart destroyer on May 4.

“The PLA-AF aircraft released flares across the flight path of the Australian Defense Force helicopter. This was an unsafe maneuver which posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel,” the Australian Government Department of Defence statedon