North Korea's army will immediately launch a "baptism of fire" in response to any provocation, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Sunday, in comments carried by state news agency KCNA.
The remarks come after South Korea's military said the North fired more than 60 artillery rounds on Saturday near their disputed maritime border, following a similar volley of more than 200 there the previous day.
"Let me be clear once again that our army has its trigger already unlocked," Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by KCNA.
"Our army will immediate launch a baptism of fire in case of even a small provocation."
Although South Korea held its own fire drills in the sea on Friday in response to the artillery shells, the Yonhap news agency said there was no plan to do so after Saturday's events.
Friday's duelling drills sparked warnings for residents of South Korean border islands to seek cover in bomb shelters, though there was no report of shells crossing the maritime border.
In the statement, Kim denied the Saturday firing and said the North detonated explosives instead as a deception.
The Biden administration said it was closely monitoring the probe into a deadly Israeli airstrike it called tragic, but that the recent deaths in Rafah didn't constitute a major ground operation there that crosses any US red lines.
Israel pounded Rafah with airstrikes and tank fire on Tuesday, pressing its offensive in Gaza's southern city despite international condemnation of an attack that sparked a blaze in a tent camp for the displaced, killing at least 45 people.
Around one million people have fled the Gazan city of Rafah in the past three weeks, the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.
Torrential rains brought by cyclone Remal caused a collapse in a stone quarry in India's state of Mizoram, killing 15 people and trapping seven, while eight more have died in landslides and other accidents elsewhere in the remote region.
North Korea said its attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure on Monday when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight.
More than 2,000 people could be buried alive by a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea last week, the government said on Monday, as treacherous terrain and the difficulty of getting aid to the site raises the risk few survivors will be found.
Powerful storms killed at least 18 people, injured hundreds and left a wide trail of destruction across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central US.
Strong winds and heavy rain pounded the coastal regions of Bangladesh and India as severe cyclone Remal made landfall on Sunday, leaving millions without electricity after power poles fell and trees were uprooted by gusty winds.
Welcome to Pinoy Bulletin, your go-to source for staying informed about important announcements, exciting group activities, community events, and job opportunities!
Welcome to Pinoy Bulletin, your go-to source for staying informed about important announcements, exciting group activities, community events, and job opportunities!
Welcome to Pinoy Bulletin, your go-to source for staying informed about important announcements, exciting group activities, community events, and job opportunities!