North Korea’s most widely read newspaper denounced U.S. and South Korean “air pirates” this week for allegedly ramping up spy flights, calling such surveillance a threat to its security that “escalates the danger of war” on the peninsula.

The Rodong Sinmun published another statement against U.S. special envoy on North Korean human rights issues Julie Turner, criticizing Washington’s support for Israel in the Gaza war and calling for Turner to instead focus on violations of Palestinians’ human rights.

The country celebrated previous leader Kim Jong Il’s birthday on a relatively