North Korea Labels US as Main Threat, Warns Japan of Strikes; Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza Kill 17

North Korea Labels US as Main Threat, Warns Japan of Strikes

In a series of declarations reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Director of the General Affairs Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea, reaffirmed Pyongyang’s unwavering commitment to a military strategy of strength-based deterrence. She explicitly identified the United States as the primary and persistent threat to North Korea’s national security, a reality she claims will compel the DPRK to continuously reinforce its defensive and deterrent capabilities.

Kim Yo Jong stated that the foundational and unchanging reality guiding North Korea’s foreign and security policy is that the greatest threat to its sovereignty and regional stability originates from Washington. Consequently, Pyongyang will adhere to a principled approach: eliminating threats through superior strength to secure genuine peace and stability.

She specifically dismissed any suggestion that recent reductions in the scale or duration of joint US-South Korean military exercises—announced by President Donald Trump—represent a meaningful concession. "Reducing the scale or duration of the exercises does not change the nature of these military maneuvers, which are of a provocative and aggressive nature," she emphasized. Kim noted that since the beginning of the year, the allies have conducted several major drills, including Freedom Shield, Freedom Flag, and Ssangmae.

"If the US side expects to present the measures taken this time as some kind of ‘gesture of goodwill,’ it will not receive the desired response," Kim Yo Jong warned, characterizing the ongoing maneuvers as a clear manifestation of a hostile policy toward Pyongyang.

In a significant expansion of North Korea’s strategic calculus, Kim Yo Jong also declared that the DPRK’s military leadership is now actively considering measures to deter and suppress threats emanating from Japan. She described Japan’s rapid military buildup as a "serious security challenge" capable of destabilizing the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region.

"The more seriously Pyongyang perceives the threat of Japan's remilitarization, the more strongly it perceives related facilities as military targets," she stated. Kim Yo Jong issued a stark warning: "If Japan attempts to make a wrong choice, it will face an immediate, devastating strike."

Condemning Tokyo’s military expansion as a "suicidal act," she likened it to "adding fuel to the fire," signaling that North Korea views Japan’s actions not merely as defensive but as an aggressive provocation that will be met with proportional, and potentially preemptive, countermeasures.

Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza Kill 17

At least 17 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in a series of three Israeli airstrikes carried out over the past 24 hours across Gaza, according to reporting by Al Mayadeen. The strikes targeted a café, a municipal police station in Gaza City, and the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

The deadliest of the three attacks struck the headquarters of the Municipality Police in Gaza City on Wednesday. According to the correspondent, that single airstrike killed nine people and left at least 15 others wounded. The other two strikes—one on a café and another in Nuseirat—brought the total death toll to 17, with dozens more injured across the three locations.

In response, the Palestinian Interior and National Security Ministry issued a strong statement, calling on mediators and the international community to take urgent and immediate action. The ministry condemned what it described as a "serious Israeli escalation" and a "massacre" deliberately targeting the police force, which it stated performs essential civil and security functions in Gaza. The ministry urged international bodies to intervene to halt the ongoing attacks and protect civilian infrastructure.