A Hamas terrorist leader is claiming the "alliance" with North Korea will advance the anti-U.S. axis in the East, giving it a way to strike the U.S. mainland in ways Hamas or Iran cannot.

The Biden administration has U.S. military assets in the Middle East that can be targeted by Iran, Hamas' Beirut-based leader Ali Barakeh noted in an interview this week, but North Korea's entering the war could help the terrorists strike the U.S., The Times of Israel reported Sunday.

"The day may come, when North Korea intervenes, because it is, after all, part of [our] alliance," Barakeh reportedly boasted Thursday, pointing to North Korea's reported claims of having a nuclear-loaded intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

North Korean support for Palestinian terror groups is not new and weapons used by Hamas have been tied to Kim Jong Un's regime, according to the report.

"North Korea has long supported Palestinian groups, and North Korean arms have previously been documented amongst interdicted supplies," weapons expert N.R. Jenzen-Jones told The Associated Press.

Hamas leadership is deepening ties to all U.S. rivals worldwide, including Iran, Russia, North Korea, and China, according to Barakeh.

"Today, all of America's enemies – or all those shown enmity by the U.S. – are growing closer," he said this week, according to the Times. "Today, Russia contacts us on a daily basis. The Chinese sent envoys to Doha, and China and Russia met with the leaders of Hamas. A Hamas delegation traveled to Moscow, and soon, a delegation will travel to Beijing."

South Korean and U.S. troops have been conducting live-fire exercises in late October to hone their ability to respond to potential "Hamas-style surprise artillery attacks" by North Korea, according to South Korea's military.

The two forces regularly conduct live-fire and other training, but the late-October drills come after Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on Israel raised security jitters in South Korea, which shares the world's most heavily fortified border with rival North Korea.

In a simulated response to "the enemy's [possible] Hamas-style surprise artillery attacks," the exercises practiced strikes designed to "remove the origins of the enemy's long-range artillery provocations at an early date," South Korea's Ground Operations Command said in a statement.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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