US and South Korea conduct live-fire exercises in case of 'Hamas-style' attack from North Korea

American and South Korean troops have been carrying out live-fire exercises over the past week to ensure that they would be able to sufficiently respond to a potential Hamas-style attack by North Korea.

The Associated Press reported that American and South Korean troops regularly conduct live-fire exercises, but the recent training comes after Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on October 7. In response, Israel has pushed into Gaza, launching attacks of its own.

Hamas' attacks earlier this month have apparently put South Korean forces on high alert, given that they share a border with a military enemy. Experts have suggested that North Korea's forward-deployed, long-range artillery guns can fire up to 16,000 rounds per hour if a conflict were to arise.

North Korea's artillery capabilities could present a problem for Seoul, which is only 25-30 miles away from the country's border. As a result, American and South Korean forces took part in a three-day training, which included 5,400 soldiers, 300 artillery systems, and 1,000 vehicles, according to the New York Post.

The training reportedly included a simulated response to "the enemy's (possible) Hamas-style surprise artillery attacks" that would "remove the origins of the enemy’s long-range artillery provocations at an early date."

North Korea did not initially respond to the drills. The usual response by the North to U.S.-South Korea training is to respond with missile tests of their own, per the AP.

The U.S. and South Korea have been conducting more regular military drills as North Korea continues to advance its nuclear program. Since 2022, the North has carried out more than 100 missile tests, some of which have been simulated attacks against the U.S. and South Korea.

As the U.S. and South Korea carry out their drills, Israel has pushed farther into Gaza, which could mushroom a conflict throughout the Middle East. Reuters reported that Gaza's Health Ministry said 266 Palestinians — including almost 120 children — had been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours.

In Syria, where Hamas' primary backer Iran has a military presence, Israeli missiles reportedly struck Aleppo and Damascus international airports on Sunday. Both of the airports were put out of service and two workers were killed.

Hezbollah, another Iran-backed group, has clashed with Israeli forces in what has been characterized as the deadliest frontier escalation since an Israel-Hezbollah dispute broke out in 2006.

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