BEIRUT, September 19. /TASS/. Israel planned to commit mass murder in different parts of Lebanon by blowing up civilian communication devices in Beirut and other parts of the country, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, said.

"Within one or two minutes, 5,000 people could have been killed," he said in a televised address broadcast by the Al Manar TV channel. "We regard these unprecedented actions on the part of Israel as crossing all red lines," the Hezbollah chief emphasized.

According to the politician, the criminal actions on the part of Israel should be regarded "as a major terrorist operation." "It is nothing but a deliberate massacre," he said. "For the Lebanese state, it is a de facto declaration of war," Hassan Nasrallah emphasized.

The Hezbollah chief pointed out that when Israel blew up pagers and walkie-talkies, "was not aware of where their carriers might be located." "As a result, some of the explosions took place in hospitals, pharmacies, markets, stores, houses, cars, and in the streets where there were many women and children," he underscored.