Weapons

What US intelligence believes happened with North Korea's weapons test

The US does not believe North Korea successfully launched a fully operational new weapon after Pyongyang claimed it had conducted a "new tactical guided weapons firing test" on Wednesday, according to a US official directly familiar with the latest assessment.

The initial US intelligence assessment is North Korea tested components for an anti-tank weapon, rather than a fully operational new weapon, the official told CNN on Thursday.

The assessment is based on a review of information gathered from satellites and aircraft that did not register any indication of a launch of any type of short-range tactical weapon or a ballistic missile, the official said.

North Korea's state media agency reported that the country's leader Kim Jong Un inspected and directed the test.

The US believes if North Korea had launched a fully functioning anti-tank weapon their sensors would have likely picked up some indication it had been fired. That did not happen, the official said.