TEHRAN - In a high-profile speech on Thursday afternoon, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Israeli regime intended to kill thousands of Lebanese people within minutes by exploding pagers  and walkie talkies on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Nasrallah called the back-to-back attacks “a terrorist act” and a “massacre”.

He also said they were "severe" and "unprecedented" acts and a declaration of war against the people of Lebanon and the country’s sovereignty.

Israel started its attack by targeting paging devices as it knew that there were more than 4,000 of them in use, he pointed out. When these devices were donated, Israel tried to kill 4,000 people simultaneously as well as those in their vicinity, he added.

The same was repeated on the second day with the aim to kill thousands of people carrying radio devices, Nasrallah noted.  He said the unprecedented attacks are a big blow but have not brought Hezbollah to its knees. 

Lebanese health minister Firass Abiad said on Thursday the death toll from the two waves of pager and walkie-talkie attacks across the country has risen to 37 while 287 people are in a critical condition.

Lebanon’s foreign minister also warned the “blatant assault on Lebanon’s sovereignty and security” is a dangerous development that could “signal a wider war”.

Israel crosses red lines

Nasrallah went on to say that Israel crossed all restrictions and red lines by carrying out the coordinated attacks.

Some of the attacks took place in hospitals, pharmacies, marketplaces, commercial shops and even residential homes, private vehicles and public roads where thousands of civilians, including women and children, are present, he stated.

He also pledged to keep up Hezbollah’s fight against Israel until Israel’s nearly 12-month war on the Gaza Strip ends.

“The Lebanese front will not stop until the aggression on Gaza stops” despite “all this blood spilt”, he said. "We reaffirm that the resistance in Lebanon will not stop supporting Gaza."

Nasrallah lauds unity in Lebanon 

Nasrallah also thanked doctors, officials and everyone who helped in the treatment of victims of the attacks, including the people who donated blood.

One of the silver linings of the crisis of the past few days is the solidarity and unity experienced across the country, he remarked.

He continued to offer his condolences to those who have fallen on the front in southern Lebanon and those who died as a result of the attacks in recent days and wishes a speedy recovery to those who have suffered injuries.

Israel will face 'just punishment'

In his speech, Nasrallah also threatened the Tuesday and Wednesday attacks will meet a “just punishment”.  Noting that Hezbollah was investigating how the attacks were carried out, he added that the fighting has entered its most sensitive and precise stage.

Attacks don't shake Hezbollah's faith

Nasrallah went on to say that the attacks did not shake Hezbollah’s faith, conviction and preparedness.

“On the contrary, this turned us more resolved, more robust and more adamant,” he said.

If Israel’s objective was to separate Hezbollah from what it’s taking place in Gaza, then that’s failed, he said. And if the goal was to drive a wedge among the Lebanese, that was also foiled, Nasrallah added.

Hezbollah will brave this challenging moment

Elsewhere in his remarks, Nasrallah said Hezbollah is aware that Israel has a technological edge because it is backed by the US and other tech superpowers.

There are ebbs and flows in a war, he said, promising that Hezbollah will brave this challenging moment with its head held high.

“We cannot be broken by this blow, no matter how big or strong it is. And I can assure you faithfully and with confidence, this hard, unprecedented blow did not bring us to our knees – and it will not,” he pointed out.

“These are lessons to learn,” Nasrallah said, promising that Hezbollah will become more robust.

You won’t be able to return people to the north

Nasrallah’s address also touched on Israeli officials’ pledges to return thousands of Israelis displaced by cross-border exchanges of fire between Israel’s army and Hezbollah to their houses.

“You will not be able to return the people of the north to the north,” he said, warning that “no military escalation, no killings, no assassinations and no all-out war can return residents to the border”.

“Historic opportunity”

Finally, Nasrallah said Hezbollah hoped Israeli soldiers would enter southern Lebanon because that would create a “historic opportunity” for his group. 

“This will, no doubt, have dire consequences.”

‘Not jumping to conclusions’

The resistance leader also said that Hezbollah has formed a number of investigation committees examining various scenarios.

All details will be established without jumping to any conclusions, he remarked.