North Korea warned Friday it could respond with ¡°a new level of deterrent¡± to upcoming joint U.S.-South Korea drills simulating battle against Pyongyang¡¯s troops battle-hardened from deployment in the Russia-Ukraine war.

The 11-day exercises due to begin Monday are an annual fixture of the summer calendar, designed to prepare the United States and South Korea to defend against the nuclear-armed North.

Pyongyang regularly labels them rehearsals for an invasion, and this week test-fired a ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan, signaling its opposition to the exercises.