Special to WorldTribune.com

Bill Gertz, Washington Free Beacon

Escalating threats from North Korea’s communist regime are indicators of a future military attack or another nuclear test in the coming days, according to a recent U.S. intelligence assessment. …

The unclassified assessment circulated within government states that the intense language suggests North Korea is preparing for a surprise military strike or a demonstration of strategic capability, such as a new long-range missile test or underground nuclear blast, according to U.S. officials familiar with the report. On Sunday, North Korean state news media warned its missiles could destroy New York City in a thermonuclear attack. …

Senior Obama administration officials are worried the next military provocation by North Korea will prompt South Korea to drop its past posture of restraint and conduct a major military counterattack against the North that could trigger a new Korean war. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye announced the adoption of a hardline policy toward North Korea following the recent nuclear and missile tests. The new policy included a cutoff of all trade ties with the North. …

North Korea has steadily escalated threatening statements over the past several weeks that have included announced plans for nuclear attacks on both South Korea and the United States. The most worrying statements were authoritative threats attributed to the National Defense Commission, the regime’s most senior organ in charge of military forces, as well as statements directly from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. …

North Korea is believed to have between 10 and 20 nuclear weapons, although details of the arsenal are not known. Its missiles include 620-mile-range Nodongs and intercontinental-range Taepodong-2 missiles that the Pentagon says are disguised as space launchers. … Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the outgoing commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said in a prepared statement to the Senate recently that North Korea is building up nuclear, missile, and cyber forces for its plan of re-unifying the peninsula under its control. “Similar to his father and grandfather, Kim has likewise demonstrated that violent provocations remain central to North Korea’s strategy,” Scaparrotti said Feb. 23.

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  U.S. intel sees escalating North Korean rhetoric as prelude to major provocation