US flies two heavy bombers over Korean peninsula

WASHINGTON: The US flew two bombers over the Korean peninsula on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump weighed options on North Korea, both pre-emptive and retaliatory, presented to him by his top military leaders.

The two B-1B Lancers bombers, which took off from a US base on Guam, were joined by two F-15K fighters from the South Korean Air Force. Two jets from Japan also joined in later.

The US military said this was the first such night-time exercise undertaken by the three countries.

The White House said Trump met members of his national security team to receive a briefing from defence secretary James Mattis and joint chiefs of staff chairman Gen Joseph Dunford.

“The briefing and discussion focused on a range of options to respond to any form of North Korean aggression,” it said in a statement.