According to a report by Times of Israel, The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in southern Gaza's Rafah region have found and destroyed what they characterise as the largest missile production complex belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in a major military operation.
The operation, which included soldiers from the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, the 401st Armoured Brigade, and the Commando Brigade, represents a turning point in the continuing war.
The raid was carried out against a complex and subterranean facility in the northwest Tel Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah, according to an IDF statement.
According to reports, Islamic Jihad made considerable use of the location to assemble long-range projectiles and produce rocket parts.
The IDF considers this find to be the biggest of its sort ever made in Gaza, highlighting the scope and sophistication of the militant infrastructure in the area.
The operation took place in the midst of extremely combative conditions, with IDF commandos and combat engineers fighting armed militants both below and above ground.
During the operation, the IDF neutralised multiple operators using guided missiles and sophisticated drone technology, demonstrating the military's strategic use of aerial assets in intricate urban warfare circumstances.
IDF spokesman said: "The site discovered in Rafah was pivotal to Islamic Jihad's capabilities, responsible for the manufacture of hundreds of projectiles over recent years".
Islamic Jihad's capacity to carry out operations is thought to have been severely hampered by the demolition of such a facility, which would have prevented them from attacking Israeli military objectives and civilian populations.
The IDF operation is taking place in the midst of heightened tensions in the area, as violence between Palestinian factions and Israeli forces continues to intensify due to intermittent exchanges of rocket fire and airstrikes.