(CNN) – Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke for the first time since this week’s attacks in Lebanon. Tuesday’s attack, following pager explosions, killed 12 people and left thousands injured. The other, which occurred a day later, killed at least 25 people and injured more than 600 after explosions in walkie-talkies, according to the country’s Health Ministry.
Nasrallah condemned the wireless attacks as “massacres,” and said Hezbollah will consider Tuesday and Wednesday’s attacks as an addition to the list of many deadly acts committed by Israel.
He stated that in the two attacks, “the Israeli enemy aimed to kill at least 5,000 people in just two minutes, without regard to any regulations.”
Nasrallah claimed the attacks “crossed all red lines,” saying the devices exploded in public areas, affecting both civilians and Hezbollah members.
“Even if they had wanted to attack Hezbollah men and fighters, they were attacking everyone around them,” he said.
“There is no doubt that we have suffered a major blow,” he said in his speech on Thursday, “both in terms of security and humanity, a blow unprecedented in the history of the resistance in Lebanon at least, unprecedented in the history of Lebanon, and may be unprecedented in the history of conflict with the Israeli enemy throughout the region, perhaps even unprecedented in the world.”
“It is the nature of war. One day the enemy will attack us and the next we will attack the enemy,” he added.
“In any case, the goal was to kill as many leaders and officials as possible, attack Hezbollah’s structure and damage its command and control system,” he explained. “This was aimed at spreading chaos, confusion, weakness and disorder within Hezbollah and the resistance. However, this did not happen for a single moment,” he said.
“From the first moment, the leadership and administration were active and the front was fully prepared. “We were prepared for an offensive by the Israelis on the front,” Nasrallah added.
At the same time, the Hezbollah leader warned that the Lebanese front “will not stop” until hostilities in Gaza end.
Video shows the exact moment of the explosion of a walkie-talkie in Lebanon
“We say to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and (Israeli Defense Minister Yoav) Gallant… and to the government, the army and the society of the enemy: the Lebanese front will not stop until the aggression in Gaza stops “, said.
“I say it clearly: no matter the sacrifices, the consequences or the future possibilities, the resistance in Lebanon will not stop supporting Gaza,” he said.
In the same speech Nasrallah also hinted at a possible retaliation.
“The time will come, its nature, scope, when and where… that is something we will definitely keep to ourselves,” he said.
With reporting from CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi and Eyad Kourdi.
