North Korea said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un was briefed on his military's plans to launch missiles into waters near Guam as part of an effort to create "enveloping fire" near the U.S. military hub in the Pacific.

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis says the U.S. will "take out" any North Korean missile it detects is heading for American soil, including the Pacific island of Guam.

Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea tend to flare suddenly and fade almost as quickly - but the latest escalation won't likely go away quite so easily