North Korea was increasingly isolating itself with "bellicose rhetoric", the White House warned Friday, as Pyongyang issued a new threat to attack the US after two US B-2 stealth bombers conducted exercises in South Korea, DPA reported.
Spokesman Josh Earnest dismissed concerns that the US was ratcheting up sabre-rattling on the Korean peninsula, noting: "It's clear that the escalation is taking place from the North Koreans based on their rhetoric and on their actions."
He called on North Korea to live up to its international obligations and said the US remained committed to protecting itself and its allies in the region.
"The United States has the capability, and we have demonstrated the willingness to use that capability to protect our interests and our allies," he said. "There's no reason that it should come to that."