ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

North Korea successfully test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time on Tuesday, U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News. The ballistic missile flew longer than any North Korean missile test conducted by the rogue regime to date, U.S. Pacific Command said -- meaning Kim Jong Un's dictatorship may now possess the ability to strike Alaska. North Korea launched previously a missile on Mother's Day that flew for 30 minutes and reached an altitude 1,000 miles higher than the international space station. But Tuesday's missile flew for 37 minutes and reached a height of 1,500 miles, leading missile experts to conclude it could have reached a target 4,000 miles away, putting Alaska in its cross-hairs. Related Image Expand / Collapse This image made from video of a news bulletin aired by North Korea's KRT on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, shows what was said to be the preparation of the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile, ICBM

By  John Moody NOW PLAYING North Korea claims first ICBM missile test ahead of G20 In 49 B.C., Julius Caesar’s army crossed the Rubicon and changed history. So did America’s founding fathers, exactly 241 years ago. North Korea’s launch of what it claims was an intercontinental ballistic missile – on July 4, of all days – could be another historic point of no return. Or it could be just another taunting gesture by that country’s head-case president, Kim Jong Un. Either way, President Trump should react with extreme caution. It’s one thing to tweet; it’s another to attack. While the most-discussed nightmare scenario is a nuclear-tipped ICBM, an equally horrifying possibility is that North Korea has developed, and uses, a so-called super electromagnetic pulse weapon -- EMP – that could potentially take out America’s electric grid. “We know that North Korea got the design plans for an EMP from Russia years ago,” says Frank Gaffney, a former assistant secretary o

FILE IMAGE A cargo vessel, named ‘ACT’ and sailing under the Turkish flag, has come under fire from Greek coast guard boats in the Aegean Sea, according to Turkish media. The vessel was allegedly moving in the direction of the Izmit Bay of the Sea of Marmara from the Turkish port of Iskenderun. According to reports, Greek coast guard vessels approached ‘ACT’ in the Aegean Sea and demanded that it enter a port on the Greek island of Rhodes for cargo inspection. The Turkish captain allegedly ignored the demand and came under fire from Greek coast guards. Two vessels of the Turkish coast guard reportedly arrived at the scene after the incident. No people were killed or injured in the incident.

The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units media wing has released a video from the Old Mosul area in Mosul where a fierece fighting is ongoing between Iraqi forces and ISIS terrorists. The video shows how ISIS members use civilians as human shields.

Syrian government forces, led by Liwa al-Quds and Hezbollah units, have further advanced against ISIS northeast of the Arak gas field in the eastern part of Homs province. Army troops and their allies have captured a number of hills and reached the important Rammim Hill west of the Hail gas field. Controlling the Rammim Hill, government forces will be able to set fire control over the vicinity of the Hail gas field and to regain the field from ISIS soon. This also contributes to a wider effort aimed at liberating the strategic town of al-Sukhnah. Click to see the full-size map

Written by  TheSaker ; Originally appeared at  The Unz Review The talk of the week is the upcoming  meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin  on the sidelines of the G20 conference this Friday.  There have been some very good articles already written on this topic, I particularly recommend Adam Garrie’s “ 5 obstacles Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will have to address in their meeting ” for The Duran and Israel Shamir’s “ What Would Putin Tell Trump? ” for The Unz Review.  It is undeniable that the fact that these two men will finally meet is an event of immense significance and importance for the future not only of US-Russian relations, but even for the future or mankind. Or is it? I have to be honest here and say that my expectations are pretty close to zero.  Oh sure, they will smile, probably a lot, and some minor issues, such as the seizure of the Russian diplomatic residence in the USA, will be resolved.  Probably.  There might even be some kind of positive sounding sou