TOKYO:A spokesman for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday made a speechin whichhe called Israel “the cancer of Middle East peace.”

“Israel’s reckless military offensive, which violently violates international law and the basic principles of the United Nations Charter and targets civilians and expands day by day, is a heinous act of aggression that brutally tramples on the autonomy and territorial integrity of sovereign states,” the spokesman said, adding that Israel will be held to account for its actions.

The conflict, he said, “shows that Israel, which is supported by the United States and the West, is the cancer of Middle East peace and the main perpetrator of world peace and security destruction.”

The spokesmansaid thatIsraelhas been constantly expanding its territory through wars and military invasions,whileescalatingmilitary attackson other countriesintheregion, resulting in the “mass murder of tens of thousands of civilians.”

He added that the international community refrains from denouncing Israeland “incites the flames of war.”