play with fire

“If a third world war breaks out, no ocean will protect America. It is very dangerous to play with fire in the age of hydrogen bombs and ballistic rockets.”

When you play with fire, you normally get burnt.

Leaderships in both Iran and Israel were both "under pressure at home, facing international criticism and are clearly ready to play with fire", he warned.

“If you’re going to play with fire that way, then you need to own the burn.”

Beijing accused the Philippine vessels of intruding into Chinese territorial waters, warning Manila not to “play with fire” and saying China would continue to take actions to defend its sovereignty.