Doha launched an "air bridge" to transport medical supplies and food aid to Lebanon, a Qatari minister said in Beirut on Tuesday, more than two weeks into intense Israeli strikes on the country.

"Today we launched the air bridge with consecutive planes carrying food, shelter materials and medical supplies," said Qatar's Minister of State for International Cooperation Lolwah Al-Khater from a public hospital in Beirut.

Beirut has received "assurances" that Israel will not target the country's only international airport, Lebanon's transport minister told AFP, but said those fell short of guarantees.

Since September 23, Israel has launched an intense air campaign mainly targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon including Beirut's southern suburbs, adjacent to the airport.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Tuesday that Israel assassinated the projected new Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, who was targeted in a massive airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday, claiming also that Israel has killed Safieddine’s replacement, without saying who this would be.

In an English-language video message to the Lebanese public, Netanyahu said that Israel has “degraded Hezbollah’s capabilities; we took out thousands of terrorists, including [longtime Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan] Nasrallah himself, and Nasrallah’s replacement, and the replacement of his replacement.”

The Israeli army said 30 soldiers have been wounded in the past twenty four hours on the Lebanese border as it launched targeted raids against Hezbollah, expanding its ground operations along the country's coastline after deploying more troops.

Hezbollah said it targeted troops in Labouneh near al-Naqoura, where U.N. peacekeepers are headquartered.

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.