JCS: "North Korea and Hamas Weapons Linked to Other Military Drills"

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 17th that the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, which attacked Israel, is judged to be directly and indirectly connected with North Korea in various fields such as arms trade, tactical doctrine, and training.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

A senior official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated this at a press briefing on the same day and predicted, "North Korea may utilize Hamas's attack methods for surprise attacks against South Korea." The Joint Chiefs have been closely monitoring Hamas's attack patterns and possible connections with North Korea since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on the 7th.

Regarding arms trade between North Korea and Hamas, the official explained, "The anti-tank weapon F-7 used by Hamas reported in the media is the name North Korea uses when exporting the RPG-7." He added, "Recently, North Korean-made 122mm rocket artillery shells, presumed to be used by armed groups actively supporting Hamas or Hamas-affiliated armed groups, have been found near the border area close to Israel, indicating ongoing evidence that North Korea exports various weapons to Middle Eastern countries and armed groups."

The Joint Chiefs also analyzed that North Korea and Hamas share many similarities in terms of tactical doctrine.

The Joint Chiefs evaluated that Hamas's recent attack involved ▲ a surprise attack at dawn on a holiday ▲ large-scale rocket launches to neutralize the 'Iron Dome' (Israel's rocket defense system) ▲ drone attacks to destroy various surveillance, communication, and fire control systems installed on the separation barrier before infiltration, which resembles the 'asymmetric attack patterns' expected from North Korea. A Joint Chiefs official estimated, "Considering this, there is also a possibility of North Korea transferring tactical doctrine or providing training support."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.