The International Criminal Court said Thursday it "strongly rejects" fresh sanctions imposed by the United States on two more of its judges over their investigation of Israel.
The sanctions were "a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution", the ICC said in a statement.
The sanctioned judges -- Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia -- on Monday voted to reject a challenge by Israel which sought to end a war crimes probe in Gaza.
The United States has already sanctioned nine ICC judges and prosecutors for their probes of alleged Israeli war crimes.
The sanctions "undermine the rule of law", the court said.
"When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk," it said.
It added that it will "continue to carry out its mandate with independence and impartiality, in full accordance with the Rome Statute and in the interest of victims of international crimes".
The court in November 2024 issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Thursday that the newly sanctioned judges had earlier this week voted to uphold the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
"We will continue to respond with significant and tangible consequences to the ICC's lawfare and overreach," he said.
Neither the United States nor Israel are parties to the ICC, which was set up in 2022 as a court of last resort when countries do not have adequate legal systems to ensure accountability.
Virtually all Western democracies support the ICC.
