Japan urged citizens to take shelter early this morning (October 4) after North Korea reportedly fired an unexpected ballistic missile over the country for the first time in five years.

The launch marks a potentially deadly escalation of weapons tests by the Kim Jong-un regime, with some outlets describing the move as a deliberate attempt to provoke a response from Tokyo and Washington.

Per a report by CNN, it comes amid a string of missile tests carried out by North Korea over the last ten days, and mark's the country's 23rd such missile launch this year.

Kim Jong-Un inspects what is claimed to be a hydrogen bomb in October 2017. Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the intermediate-range warhead was launched at around 7:23AM (local time) from Mupyong-ri, near North Korea's border with China.

It traveled around 2,858 miles in around 20 minutes, reaching heights of around 621 miles above land. Japanese officials reported that the missile flew over the country's Tohoku region on the main island of Honshu, before falling into the Pacific Ocean roughly 1,364 miles offshore.

While there has been no reports of damage caused by the missile, it was enough to trigger a rare J-alert - a Japanese system designed to inform the public of emergencies and threats).

Citizens in the north of Japan - including the Aomori prefecture, Hokkaido, and Tokyo’s Izu and Ogasawara islands - woke up to blaring sirens and text alerts. The warnings read: "North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate into buildings or underground," according to a report by BBC News.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also issued a personal warning via his office's Twitter account, urging residents to "not approach anything suspicious that is found and to immediately contact the police or fire department."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

The Prime Minister later described the launch as "violent behavior", while US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson condemned it as a "dangerous and reckless decision" that was "destabilizing" to the region.

Per CNN, The White House has also "strongly condemned" the test, with National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson calling out North Korea’s "blatant disregard for United Nations Security Council resolutions and international safety norms".

Over the past few weeks, the US has been working with Japan and South Korea to strengthen their defense against the growing threat posed by North Korea.

Last week, the three countries conducted naval exercises for the first time in five years - an activity that has antagonized Pyongyang leadership in the past.

After the last round of allied naval exercises in 2017, North Korea fired two missiles over Japan and even conducted a nuclear test.

Featured Image Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy

If there is anybody that Donald Trump has publicly clashed heads with more than anyone else, it's Kim Jong Un. The North Korean leader seems to have a talent for goading the President into lashing out - something which was especially evident a couple of weeks ago, when Trump tweeted petty insults towards Kim in response to being described as "old". [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/929511061954297857]] However, after news emerged yesterday that Pyongyang successfully tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that would be capable of reaching Washington DC, Trump has been forced to deal with the matter rather more seriously. Reports that the weapons test was a success was announced by North Korean propaganda, and the claims they made appear to be corroborated by statements from Japan and South Korea. "After watching the successful launch of the new type ICBM Hwasong-15," the report said, "Kim Jong-un declared with pride that now we have finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power." This news is obviously incredibly worrying coming from a nation that has long sought to become a nuclear superpower - especially since the relationship between the US and North Korea has been near enough pushed to breaking point already. When prompted for a statement on how he plans to deal with the situation, Trump told reporters at the White House: "I will only tell you that we will take care of it. ... It is a situation that we will handle." Later, Trump made yet more ominous claims on Twitter - apparently his favored platform for dealing with serious political matters - and hinted that the US should be preparing for war. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/935686205429157888]] US Defense Secretary James Mattis, who was present with Trump in the Roosevelt Room, said that Pyongyang's latest missile launch was "higher, frankly, than any previous shot they have taken," and that it has the ability to hit "everywhere in the world, basically." David Wright, a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists, also expressed his concerns about the capabilities of the missile. "Such a missile would have more than enough range to reach Washington, DC, and in fact any part of the continental United States," Wright said in a statement. However, he did add that this range would be limited at least in part if a nuclear warhead was attached. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham had perhaps the most damning statement to make on the matter, and said on CNN that, "If we have to go to war to stop this, we will. If there's a war with North Korea it will be because North Korea brought it on itself, and we're headed to a war if things don't change." This followed a statement from a North Korean official, who said, "Before we can engage in diplomacy with the Trump administration, we want to send a clear message that the DPRK has a reliable defensive and offensive capability to counter any aggression from the United States." This is arguably the closest the world has been to seeing a nuclear attack since The Cold War, and obviously the situation deserves the utmost concern and attention. The President, however, already seems to have moved on from the issue, and was back to tweeting about tax cuts just two hours after saying, "it's more important than ever to fund our gov't & military". [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/935713791765110785]] Whatever he says, though, Trump should certainly be careful about what he tweets in the near future. Though his bickering with Kim may have seemed humorous in the past, it could have dire consequences towards international relations at this point.

Have tensions on the Korean peninsula finally reached breaking point? For months now relations between the United States and North Korea have been fraught; characterised by bombastic declarations, militaristic rhetoric and provocation that have left observers around the world looking on in dismay. North Korea, defiant and unwilling to acquiesce to the wants of the Trump administration, has continued a missile testing programme despite sanctions and widespread condemnation from countries and international bodies, purportedly with the intention on developing warheads with the capability of reaching the United States of America. Pyongyang has reacted with fury to President Trump's attempts to temper their military ambitions, while the latter has been left largely frustrated by what he perceives as inaction on the part of China. Sanctions placed on the North appear to have had little practical effect, and a solution to the intensifying tension on the Korean peninsula appears, regrettably, as far away as ever. The United States, its ally South Korea, and the North appear to be tiptoeing ever closer to a precipice from which a fall, one feels sure, would hold disastrous consequences for the international community. It was with dismay, then, that onlookers learned of North Korea's testing of a missile that flew over Japan yesterday, a move which was described by Tokyo as an "unprecedented, serious and grave threat". Mere hours later, South Korea dropped eight MK-84 bombs close to the country's border with North Korea in a show of military strength. The Independent says that President Moon Jae-In "ordered the strike, by four F-15K fighter-bombers, at a firing range in the country's east to 'display a strong capability to punish' North Korea if it were to attack." Now, news has emanated from the North that makes for even graver reading. The BBC, among others, reports that North Korea has described its missile firing over Japan yesterday as "the first step" of further military action in the pacific. The launch, said state media, was "the first step of the military operation of the (North Korean military) in the Pacific and a meaningful prelude to containing Guam". The BBC says that Russia and China believe that current US military operations in the region have played a part in the North's missile launch, urging negotiations on both sides. It is believed that Kim Jong-un has ordered further missile drills in the region. Earlier this summer, President Trump threatened "fire and fury" if North Korea did not temper its military ambitions and provocations, while Pyongyang has previously said that it could bomb the US territory of Guam; it is believed that the missile that was fired over Japan due to its path toward the island. In a statement released by the White House President Trump said that the global community had "received North Korea's latest message loud and clear". "This regime has signalled its contempt for its neighbours, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behaviour. "Threatening and destabilising actions only increase the North Korean regime's isolation in the region and among all nations of the world. All options are on the table." The UN Security Council has also moved to condemn North Korea's actions, describing the missile launch as "outrageous". Though world leaders and observers will be hoping that a diplomatic solution could yet be found to the fraught condition of the Korean peninsula, threats like President Trump's of "fire and fury" hardly inspires confidence.

For months now, the delicate situation on the Korean peninsula has been slowly escalating. No longer mere verbal barbs, now military exercises and missile tests have come to dominate the landscape on the Korean peninsula, though the consistently bombastic rhetoric emanating from both the United States and North Korea has hardly served to temper their increasingly fraught relations. The United States has been consistently condemnatory of North Korea's missile testing programme, which flies in the face of sanctions from several countries and international bodies, while the North has cast America as the provocateur in return. UN sanctions appear to have had no effect on Pyongyang's military ambitions, and President Trump has grown frustrated with President Xi Jinping of China's inability to restrain Kim Jong-un. Indeed, the North has done nothing to suggest that it intends to temper its military ambitions, in particular its widely decried nuclear testing programme. It was with dismay that the world learned of North Korea's test firing of a missile that flew over Japan, a move that was blasted as an "unprecedented, serious and grave threat" in Tokyo. Despite some in the US believing that UN sanctions on North Korea are having little to no effect on Kim Jong-un's military ambitions, a new wave of UN restrictions were imposed, described by Pyongyang as "the most vicious, unethical and inhumane act of hostility" which aimed to "physically exterminate" their people. Now, in an apparent show of military strength, several US jets joined with four South Korean fighters to conduct "routine" exercises intended to "'improve their joint operation capabilities against contingencies". The move seems highly likely to infuriate Kim Jong-un, as North Korea has responded angrily to joint US/South Korean military exercises in the past. Mere hours after Pyongyang's missile fire over Japan earlier this month, it was reported that South Korea had dropped eight MK-84 bombs close to the country's border with North Korea in a show of military strength. The Independent says that President Moon Jae-In "ordered the strike, by four F-15K fighter-bombers, at a firing range in the country's east to 'display a strong capability to punish' North Korea if it were to attack." Meanwhile, President Trump - who earlier this summer promised "fire and fury" if North Korea did not curtail its military initiatives, took to his preferred communicative medium of Twitter to seemingly dub Kim Jong-un "Rocket Man" in a bizarre tweet that read in full "I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!" [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/909384837018112000]] World leaders and onlookers alike will be hoping that a peaceful solution could yet be found for what appears to be an increasingly fraught situation on the Korean peninsula. With the United States determined for Kim Jong-un to temper his military ambitions, and North Korea casting the US as the chief provocateur, though, that solution seems as far away as ever.

A missile struck the US Embassy in Baghdad after President Donald Trump claimed US forces had "obliterated every military target" during strikes on Iran.

The projectile breached the Iraqi capital's heavily guarded Green Zone, an area that houses government buildings and foreign embassies, on Friday (March 13) night, Al Jazeera reported.

Video posted on social media by Sabereen News showed smoke rising from the massive diplomatic compound following the strike.

It remains unclear whether anyone was injured in the attack.

Attack Follows US Bombing Raid On Key Iranian Oil Hub

The strike came just hours after Trump announced that US forces had carried out a massive bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s most important oil export hub.

"Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Kharg Island, located about 16 miles off the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf, controls approximately 90 percent of the country’s crude oil exports and serves as the loading site for most of Iran’s oil shipments.

The 79-year-old said the island’s oil infrastructure was deliberately spared during the operation but warned that it could change if Iran interferes with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island," the president said.

"However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision," he warned.

Embassy Warned Americans Of Growing Threats

The military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury, began two weeks ago and has sparked a wave of retaliatory missile and drone strikes from Iran targeting US military bases, diplomatic missions, and allied nations in the region.

Just hours before Friday night’s strike, the US Embassy in Baghdad had issued a security alert warning American citizens that Iranian-backed militia groups posed a danger in the country.

"Iran and the terrorist militia groups allied with it pose a significant threat to public safety in Iraq," the embassy warned. "Attacks targeting US citizens, US interests, and critical infrastructure have been observed."

The warning also noted that Iran-aligned groups had targeted hotels popular with foreigners as well as US-linked facilities across the country.

"In addition, Iran-aligned terrorist militias have launched attacks on hotels frequented by foreigners and other facilities linked to the United States throughout Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. U.S. citizens also face a risk of kidnapping," they said.

The embassy urged Americans to "exercise vigilance, maintain a low profile, and avoid areas that could make them potential targets".

Iran Vows Retaliation As New Supreme Leader Speaks Out

The growing conflict has also intensified rhetoric from Iran’s leadership following the death of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier in the war.

His son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, released his first statement since taking power, promising retaliation for those killed in the fighting.

"I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs," the new supreme leader said. "The retaliation we have in mind is not limited only to the martyrdom of the great leader of the revolution [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]; rather, every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy constitutes a separate case in the file of revenge."

He added: "A limited portion of this retaliation has already taken tangible form, but until it is fully achieved, this file will remain open above other cases. We will be especially sensitive regarding the blood of our children."

Khamenei also warned that Iran could use control of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage in the conflict: "The lever of closing the Strait of Hormuz must certainly continue to be used as well."

His statement followed reports that he may have been seriously wounded during earlier US-Israeli strikes that killed his father and several members of his family, though the claims remain disputed.

Trump Responds After Supreme Leader's Statement

The new leader’s remarks prompted a furious response from Trump, who wrote a strongly worded message on Truth Social.

"We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning," he said.

"Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth. We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time - Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today."

Trump continued: "They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!

"Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP," he concluded.

Featured image credit: Anadolu / Getty