(CNN) - U.S. officials are considering plans to shoot down North Korean missiles, even if those missiles are not a direct threat to the U.S. or its allies.
With two North Korean missiles recently launched over northern Japan, one senior defense official says that consideration remains very real.
However, an official directly familiar with options planning within the trump administration tells CNN the question now is whether North Korea's missile program has the level where that would be an option.
The series of ballistic missile tests out of North Korea has drawn worldwide attention, with President Donald Trump offering some of the strongest and most controversial rhetoric.
The Pentagon says it has military options for North Korea that will not put South Korea at risk of a counterattack.
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