"Israel was not able to affect our (military) capabilities," Kassem said in a televised statement, the first time any senior Hezbollah figure has been seen since Nasrallah was killed. "There are deputy commanders and there are replacements in case a commander is wounded in any post.

Hasan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah since 1992, transformed the Lebanese group into a powerful paramilitary and political force.

Hezbollah’s deputy leader vowed to continue fighting Israel and said the militant group was prepared for a long war after much of its top command was wiped out, including its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.