North Korea's military will devise a plan by mid-August to fire four intermediate range missiles at the U.S. territory of Guam, according to North Korean state media.
A report on Thursday by the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said the plan is "to interdict the enemy forces on major military bases on Guam and to signal a crucial warning to the United States."
The North Korean military will present the plan to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who will then decide whether to proceed, the news agency reported.
"The Hwasong-12 rockets to be launched by the [Korean People's Army] will cross the sky above Shimane, Hiroshima and Koichi prefectures of Japan," the report said, citing North Korean Gen. Kim Rak Gyom, the commander of the military's Strategic Rocket Forces. "They will fly 3,356.7 km [2,085.8 miles] for 1,065 seconds and hit the waters 30 to 40 km away from Guam."
In a statement released Wednesday through the news agency, Kim Rak Gyom said U.S. President Donald Trump's "fire and fury" threat is a "load of nonsense." Kim also said Trump fails to grasp the situation, calling the president a "guy bereft of reason" and saying he is "extremely getting on the nerves" of the country's army.
"Only absolute force can work on him," Kim said in statement, according to the KCNA.
Kim added that the country is still examining a possible strike on waters near Guam "to signal a crucial warning to the U.S." On Tuesday, in response to Trump's remarks, North Korea said it was considering a strike on the territory that would create "an enveloping fire."
Guam is home to some 163,000 people and has a key U.S. Air Force base.
Kim concluded by saying the country will be "closely watching the speech and behavior of the U.S."
Trump says North Korea will be met by 'fire and fury' if threats continue Mattis warns North Korea of 'end of its regime,' 'destruction of its people' The story behind Trump's 'fire and fury' comments on North Korea What to know about Guam, the US territory targeted by North KoreaSpeaking from Bedminster, New Jersey, on Tuesday, Trump used strong language to caution North Korea against making any further threats against the United States.
"North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. He has been very threatening — beyond a normal statement — and as I said, they will be met with fire, fury and, frankly, power the likes of which the world has never seen before," Trump said.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis added to the increasingly heated rhetoric, urging Kim Jong Un to "take heed" of the United Nations Security Council's "unified voice," referring to recent sanctions issued against North Korea. Mattis also called for the country to "cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people."
Members of the U.S. intelligence community believe that North Korea's nuclear capabilities may be more advanced than initially thought and the country might have developed the technology to miniaturize a nuclear warhead so it can be placed inside an intercontinental ballistic missile, a U.S. official told ABC News on Tuesday. The Washington Post first reported the news, citing a July 28 report by the Defense Intelligence Agency about North Korea's capabilities.
ABC News' Elizabeth McLaughlin, Meghan Keneally and Joseph Simonetti contributed to this report.