Relations between North Korea and Israel just took a turn for the worse after Israel’s Russian-born Defense Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, called the regime “a crazy and radical group”. North Korea responded by threatening “punishment a thousand-fold”.

In an interview last week with Walla News,  a Hebrew language news service, Lieberman said “Kim Jong-un is an ally of Assad. From North Korea, through Iran, to Syria and Hezbollah”. Lieberman said North Korea’s intent was to “undermine global stability. He referred to the leader, Kim Jong-un, as “the madman from North Korea”.

“We’re just ahead of a new era of accurate missile and unconventional weapons in the hands irrational people,” Liberman said.

In response, the North Korea Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Saturday, calling Liebreman’s statements “rash and malicious”.

“Our consistent message is to mercilessly punish those who offend the dignity of our leadership,” the statement said. “We warn Israel to think twice about the implications of its defamation campaign against us.”

“Israel is the only illegal possessor of nuclear weapons that enjoys the support of the United States, but Israel is attacking North Korea for possessing nuclear weapons,” the statement continued. North Korea said it is “fully supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people… [of] establishing of an independent state with Kuds (Jerusalem) as its capital.”

“It is the steadfast will and spirit of the service personnel and people of the DPRK to give merciless, thousand-fold punishment to whoever dares hurt the dignity of its supreme leadership,” the statement threatened.