US flies B-52 over Korea days after nuke test

The U.S. reportedly flew a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber over South Korea on Sunday in an unmistakeable show of force days after North Korea claimed to have successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb.

Military sources said the B-52, which was joined by U.S. F-16 and South Korean F-15 fighters, flew near an air base close to the North-South border before returning to its Guam base.

{mosads}”This was a demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies in South Korea, in Japan, and to the defense of the American homeland,” Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of U.S. Pacific Command, said in a statement provided to the Associated Press. “North Korea’s nuclear test is a blatant violation of its international obligations.”

Pyongyang has yet to respond to the flight, but will surely see it as a provocation.

Officials have voiced skepticism toward North Korea’s Wednesday claim that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, saying the evidence points to a weaker nuclear device, such as was detonated by the isolated nation in 2013. A U.S. B-52 bomber flight followed that test as well.

The United Nations and NATO swiftly condemned last week’s underground explosion, with the U.N. Security Council considering “further significant measures” after an emergency meeting on the test.

Lawmakers in both parties and both chambers have expressed support for new sanctions against North Korea and leader Kim Jong Un, with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) pledging a vote would be coming.