Israeli aircraft launched a new raid on the southern suburb of Beirut, on Thursday, targeting a residential building in the Al-Qaim neighborhood in the Al-Jamous area.

The Israeli army announced the launch of “precision strikes in Beirut,” while a source close to Hezbollah reported that the raid targeted a leader in the party.

A security source told Reuters that Israel targeted a senior Hezbollah leader in the raid on the southern suburb of Beirut on Thursday afternoon.

Over the past week, the Israeli army killed prominent Hezbollah leaders in direct targeting of them in the southern suburb.

Before the major military escalation between Hezbollah and Israel that began on Monday, the Israeli strikes were not limited to Hezbollah centers and infrastructure, but rather went beyond them to include assassinations of its leaders in Lebanon and Syria.

The fireball has been rolling between Hezbollah and Israel since last Monday, burning with it all the rules of engagement that prevailed between the two parties. Southern Lebanon and its parts have come under the target of intense Israeli air strikes, while Hezbollah has expanded the scope of its missile strikes to Haifa, Safed, and Acre, all the way to Tel Aviv.

Fears are increasing that the mutual escalation between Hezbollah and Israel may be just the beginning of the “rings” of a more violent conflict, as Israel seeks to achieve its strategic goals by separating the Lebanon front from Gaza, and removing Hezbollah from the southern border beyond the Litani River. This is to ensure the safe return of the residents of the northern Israeli regions, and in return, Hezbollah adheres to its decision not to separate the southern Lebanon front from Gaza.