Sheikh Naim Qassem has been the acting head of Hezbollah since its longtime leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was killed as part of an Israeli offensive that has taken out many of the group's senior officials.

Qassem made a defiant televised speech Tuesday, claiming that the group's military capabilities are intact and Israelis will only suffer further as fighting continues.

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday said Hezbollah had been "battered and broken" following continuous strikes against the group and the killing of its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

During a briefing with the northern command, Gallant said Hezbollah "is a battered and broken organization, without significant command and fire capabilities, with a disintegrated leadership following the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah". Earlier on Tuesday the military said about 85 projectiles were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel.

The Biden administration has in recent weeks grown “increasingly distrustful” of what the Israeli government says about its military and diplomatic plans in the multi-front war it is fighting, four U.S. officials told U.S. news portal Axios.

Hezbollah fired another barrage of rockets into Israel on Tuesday, as Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem vowed to keep up pressure that has forced tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes near the Lebanese border.

Dozens of rockets fired by Hezbollah were aimed as far south as Haifa, and the Israeli government warned residents north of the coastal city to limit activities, prompting the closure of more schools. The Israeli military said Hezbollah launched more than 170 rockets across the border.

Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Tuesday said the group's military capabilities remained "fine" despite weeks of heavy Israeli airstrikes.

"You see that our daily accomplishments are great. Hundreds of rockets and dozens of aircraft (drones), a great number of (Israeli) settlements and cities have come under rocket fire... I would like to reassure you that our capabilities are fine," Qassem said in a televised address.

Hezbollah has ordered its fighters not to attack Israeli troops who recently moved behind a U.N. peacekeeping position near a Lebanese border village.

The statement came a day after UNIFIL had warned Israel's operations near their position at Maroun al-Ras was "extremely dangerous" and compromised their safety, adding it had repeatedly informed Israel of their concerns.

The United States has warned Israel not to attack Beirut airport or the roads leading to it, as the Israeli army carried out intensive strikes on the Lebanese capital's southern suburbs.

"We think it's very important that not only the airport be open, but that the roads to the airport be open, so that American citizens who want to leave can get out, but also citizens of other countries," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

The Israeli military said it killed a senior Hezbollah commander in a strike on south Beirut.

The military said Tuesday that it killed Suhail Husseini, who it said was responsible for overseeing logistics, budget and management of the militant group.

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro have called for a “negotiated solution” to end the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Turkey is sending ships to evacuate around 2,000 of its citizens from Lebanon on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said.

Two Turkish navy ships will leave a port in southern Turkish province of Mersin for Beirut on Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement.