Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is warning Israel will face “tough retribution” after the dramatic detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies that left at least 37 people dead and more than 3,300 injured across Lebanon this week. 

In a speech on Thursday, Nasrallah addressed the attacks that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, saying, “There is no doubt that we have been exposed to a major and severe security and humanitarian blow.”

“The enemy has crossed all red lines and all laws in this attack,” he continued, calling the detonations, which wounded Hezbollah members and civilians,  a “terrorist” attack and an act of war. He also vowed to take revenge on Israel “where it expects it and where it does not.”

As he spoke, Israeli jets broke the sound barrier as they flew over Beirut, causing sonic booms.  Additionally, Israel’s military announced strikes in southern Lebanon that it said were meant to degrade Hezbollah’s “capabilities and infrastructure.”

While making his threats against Israel, Nasrallah did not go into specifics about Hezbollah’s planned “retribution.” However, he vowed the “fighting on the Lebanese front will not stop before the war in Gaza ends.”

Earlier in the day, Hezbollah carried out attacks that killed two Israeli soldiers near the Lebanon border.

Israel has signaled it is entering into a “new phase” of its conflict with Hezbollah as the world watches to see whether the explosions in Lebanon will signal the start of a larger operation against the militant group, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization. 

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a video posted on X that Hezbollah “feels that it is being persecuted, and the sequence of military actions will continue.”

“Our goal is to ensure the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” he added.

Thousands of Israelis have been displaced from their homes near Lebanon’s southern border as Hezbollah has carried out a series of attacks in the region in response to Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.