Israel says underground Hamas weapons workshop destroyed in airstrike

Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday that troops discovered and destroyed an underground workshop that Hamas used to manufacture weapons.

Israel Defense Forces released new video on Wednesday showing troops discovering an underground workshop that it says Hamas used to manufacture weapons, and its ensuing destruction in an airstrike.

The discovery of the underground Hamas workshop came as the IDF’s 7th Brigade Combat Team carried out a weeks-long operation in the Bani Suheila area of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF said.

The operation saw troops raid dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites and the elimination of more than 70 Hamas operatives during close-quarters combat and aerial strikes, according to the IDF.

During the operation, troops of the 603rd Battalion and the Yahalom Unit found a tunnel that went deep underground, according to officials. As the troops investigated the route, the IDF said they uncovered underground workshops and a compound with three rooms used by Hamas terrorists to store and manufacture weapons.

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Following their investigation, the IDF said the tunnel route and workshops were destroyed in an airstrike.

Tensions between Israel and Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah have escalated in recent weeks as world leaders worry that the conflict could boil over into a larger regional war.

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The assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week ratcheted up tensions in the Middle East further. Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the killing, but Iran and Hamas are accusing the Jewish state of being behind it.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has vowed to avenge the death of Haniyeh, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel remains ready for any scenario.