North Korea test-fires 2 new missiles amid US-South Korea military drills, state media says
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(LONDON) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of two newly developed types of missiles, state media reported, launches that came as the United States and South Korea held their annual military drills to the south.
The two missiles tested on Saturday were designed to target aerial threats, including attack drones and cruise missiles, the Korea Central News Agency reported on Sunday.
State media reported few details on the projectiles, other than describing them as “improved” versions, saying they were “based on unique and special technology.”
The launches came days after the Monday start of “Ulchi Freedom Shield 25,” joint military exercises that are ongoing in South Korea. Those training exercises, which include live-fire drills, were scheduled to run through Thursday.
The U.S. State Department in announcing that the drills had begun said they were intended to reaffirm “the ironclad commitment between the U.S. and South Korea to defend their homelands.”
A North Korean military official described those exercises as destabilizing for the Korean Peninsula, accusing the United States and South Korea of “the destruction of balance of power in the region.”
A spokesperson for the Korean People’s Army told Rodong Sinmun, a state-owned newspaper, that the “reckless” drills were being run by “warmongers,” adding that the exercises were pushing the Korean Peninsula into “extreme tension.”
North Korean state media published on Sunday an image of Kim meeting with military officials, along with several images of missiles in mid-air. It was not immediately clear where the missile tests had taken place.
As the drills began on Monday, Kim was touring a North Korean naval destroyer, KCNA reported. He reportedly said during that visit that the U.S.-South Korea drills could “ignite a war” and that North Korea should push for a “rapid expansion of nuclearization.”
(LONDON) — The Israeli military began a ground offensive in Gaza City, the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday.
The IDF confirmed that the maneuver to occupy Gaza City that began overnight included two divisions, with a third expected to join.
The next phase of the Israeli military action in the city follows the beginning early this month of ground operation in the city, the largest in the Gaza Strip, military officials said at the time.
Israeli officials then a week ago issued an order calling for all residents of the city to evacuate, saying at the time that the Israeli military would operate “with great force” within Gaza City.
“Staying in the city is extremely dangerous,” Avichay Adraee, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, said on social media at the time.
It was not immediately clear how many people remained in the city on Tuesday. At the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, a church official told ABC News they were still sheltering inside, with no intention to leave.
Tuesday’s military action in Gaza City followed a visit on Sunday and Monday by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
After a joint news conference on Tuesday, Rubio said the United States supported Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas.
Hamas in a statement on Tuesday accused Netanyahu and Israel of destroying “every chance” of reaching an agreement to end the war and return remaining hostages. Hamas, which is a designated terrorist organization, said the U.S. knew “full well” that Israel was doing so.
But Rubio, as he again briefly spoke with the press as he boarded a plane out of Tel Aviv, said the U.S. was still pushing for a “negotiated” end to the war in Gaza.
“We think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen,” he said. “We don’t have months anymore; we probably have days, maybe a few weeks. So, it’s a key moment, an important moment.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks with reporters before a bipartisan meeting with senate leaders in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
(LONDON and TEL AVIV) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with his security cabinet on Thursday, an Israeli official said, as he considers plans to occupy the Gaza Strip despite international condemnation of the deteriorating humanitarian situation there.
Netanyahu is expected to ask the cabinet to approve plans for the Isreal Defense Forces to gradually seize Gaza City, the largest city in the territory, the Israeli official told ABC News.
The cabinet was expected to meet at about 6 p.m. local time, or 11 a.m. ET, the source said.
Netanyahu said Israel “intends to” take control of all of Gaza, but “we don’t want to keep it or govern it,” he said in an interview Thursday with Fox News.
“We don’t want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That’s not possible with Hamas,” Netanyahu said ahead of meeting with the security cabinet.
Netanyahu said in the interview that he has not discussed Israel occupying all of Gaza with President Donald Trump.
“He understands that it’s Israel who is going to do the fighting. It’s not American soldiers,” Netanyahu told Fox when asked if Trump has given him the green light to occupy all of Gaza.
“Well he just says, ‘I know Israel is going to do what it’s going to do,’ and we haven’t gotten into that kind of discussion,” Netanyahu said.
Responding to Netanyahu’s comments on Fox, Hamas said the prime minister’s comments revealed the real reason Israel withdrew from the negotiations to reach a ceasefire deal.
“Netanyahu’s statements represent a blatant reversal of the negotiation process and clearly expose the real motives behind his withdrawal from the latest round of talks, despite us nearing a final agreement,” Hamas said in a statement.
“Netanyahu’s plans to escalate the aggression confirm, without any doubt, that he is seeking to dispose of his captives and sacrifice them in service of his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda,” Hamas continued.
The Hostage Families Forum called for the Israeli cabinet to return to negotiations and reach a deal that will bring the remaining hostages home.
“We are appealing to the cabinet — the expansion of the fighting is a danger of death and immediate disappearance for our loved ones — look us in the eye when you choose to sacrifice them,” the Hostage Families Forum said in a statement.
Two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News earlier this week that Netanyahu had decided to propose that the IDF move forward with a plan to fully conquer and occupy the Palestinian territory.
Netanyahu held a three-hour limited security cabinet meeting on Tuesday where the matter was discussed, according to a readout from the prime minister’s office.
“The IDF is prepared to implement any decision made by the Political-Security Cabinet,” the readout said.
On Sunday, an Israeli official told ABC News that Netanyahu was pushing to expand the military operation in Gaza on the grounds that he felt Hamas is not interested in reaching a new deal under which surviving hostages could be released.
When asked about the possible expansion of the campaign in Gaza, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday, “Reporting is one thing. Real plans might be another. We are not in the business of interpreting statements from foreign governments when and if they’re made.”
“We do remain focused on freeing the hostages, including the remains of two Americans, and ensuring that Hamas never rules Gaza again,” Bruce said.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Police in the southern German city of Munich said the famous Oktoberfest event would be closed until Wednesday afternoon, following a bomb threat linked to a deadly fire at a home in the north of the city.
“Due to a bomb threat in connection with the explosion in northern Munich, the Theresienwiese will remain closed until 5:00 p.m.,” Munich police said in a statement, referring to the open area west of the city center where the festival is located.
“A letter from the perpetrator has been sent to this effect,” police said. “A decision on further action will be made in the early afternoon.”
The bomb threat was linked to a fire at a residential building that killed one person in northern Munich on Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Police and fire department personnel were dispatched to the scene in the Lerchenau area. Police said there was a “burning residential building” and there they had received reports of “loud bangs.”
“According to current information, the residential building was deliberately set on fire during a family dispute,” police said. “The injured person found has since died. Another person is missing and poses no danger.”
Police later said they discovered “explosive devices” in the building. “Special forces have been called in to defuse the bombs,” the police said.
Munich police confirmed to ABC News that the person who was found dead in connection to the explosion at the residence was “probably the suspect.”
In a video statement posted to X, Munich police spokesman Thomas Schelshorn said the “major operation” in Lerchenau had been underway since 4:45 a.m.
“We’ve discovered a burning house, a single-family home, burning cars nearby and a dead man at Lerchenau Lake, which may also be related to this,” Schelshorn said.
“We also have an unspecified threat of explosives for the Theresienwiese,” he added. “That’s why cordoning off and searching measures are taking place here. And that’s also why the Oktoberfest isn’t opening on time today. And we assume it won’t open before 5 p.m.”
