The government today rejected a British military expert's analysis that Singapore's armed forces would swiftly triumph if a war erupted between the two countries.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Defence Minister Najib Razak addressed the issue after a weekend newspaper dredged up a conflict scenario detailed in a book more than two years ago.

The Malay Mail 's report on "Defending the Lion City: The armed forces of Singapore" by Briton Tim Huxley, came as relations between Malaysia and its tiny but well-armed neighbour reached a low point amid several disputes.

The tabloid's sensational front page headline "War with Singapore, What if..." also followed a declaration by Mahathir in his New Year message to the nation warning any country that attacked Malaysia would get "a bloody nose."

Asked by reporters Monday why there was so much talk of war, Mahathir replied: "It is the press who keep on asking us. So we have to respond. I said whoever dares to try would get a bloody nose. That's all. Just a bloody nose. I never said war."

Asked specifically about the scenario of a swift Singapore victory attributed to Huxley, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies in London, Mahathir said: "Well, we'll see, the proof of the cake is in the eating, as they say.