U.S.-led multilateral military exercises in the Pacific risk setting off a “tidal wave” threatening the region’s peace and security, North Korea claimed on Thursday, warning that such activities will inevitably provoke “resistance and retaliation” from other countries.

In a commentary, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) criticized Washington and its allies for conducting the large-scale Exercise Talisman Sabre near Australia and multilateral drills in the western Pacific region.

“It is quite clear that the joint military drills of the U.S. and its satellite countries, which continue to escalate military tension while expanding the scope of their activities one