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Mattis: A North Korean Attack 'Will Be Met With a Massive Military Response'

September 4, 2017

Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Sunday that any attack from North Korea against the United States or its allies "will be met with a massive military response."

Mattis spoke at the White House Sunday following a small group meeting focused on Kim Jong-Un's latest nuclear test. Mattis made assurances that President Donald Trump has many options, and that commitment between the United States and its allies remains resolute.

"We have many military options, and the president wanted to be briefed on each one of them," Mattis said. "We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attack, and our commitments among the allies are ironclad."

"Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam or our allies, will be met with a massive military response–a response both effective and overwhelming," Mattis added.

He further brought up the United Nations Security Council's resolution against North Korea's development of nuclear weapons, entreating Kim to listen to their "unified voice." He warned that North Korean action could lead to its "total annihilation."

"Kim Jong-un should take heed the united Nations security council's unified voice," Mattis said. "All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses and they remained unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula—because we are not looking for the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said, we have many options to do so."

The UN Security Council announced it would hold an emergency meeting Monday to address North Korea's latest test, and its repeated actions that ignore UN sanctions.

Trump had spoken out strongly against North Korea's actions before the meeting, tweeting the country was "hostile and dangerous." He, as in the past, put pressure on China to do something, and he decried attempts at appeasement, saying the North Koreans "only understand one thing."

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