Updated: NKorea clears its military to attack US with nukes

North Korea warned Thursday that its military has been cleared to attack the U.S. using "smaller, lighter and diversified" nuclear weapons, while the U.S. said it will strengthen regional protection by deploying a missile defense system to Guam.

Despite the intense rhetoric, analysts do not expect a nuclear attack by North Korea, which knows the move could trigger a destructive, suicidal war. Experts believe Pyongyang does not yet have the ability to launch nuclear-tipped missiles, but its other nuclear capabilities aren't fully known.

The strident warning from Pyongyang is the latest in a series of escalating threats from North Korea, which has railed against joint U.S. and South Korean military exercises taking place in South Korea and has expressed anger over tightened sanctions for its February nuclear test. Read more

Also read

Sen. Inhofe to Newsmax: US May Need to Strike North Korea Now
NKorea's Twitter account hacked amid tension
A gif that perfectly sums up North Korea’s military capability to strike the U.S.
Robert Ayson: Let's hope threats don't lead to action
Understanding Kim Jong Un’s Tantrums
Could Korean nukes hit UK? The posturing boy despot who could blunder into apocalypse

A preemptive strike against North Korea would result in a wider conflict as China has a defense pact with North Korea. Let us continue to pray for that region of the world, for the peoples of North Korea and South Korea and their leaders, and for peace on the Korean peninsula.