Could you clarify how the operationRef in the link object specification works?

You provided some examples, showcasing how operationRef and operationId can be utilized and even though I found the operationId example understandable, I thought the operationRef example was confusing.

Here is the operationRef example you provided:

components:
  links:
    UserRepositories:
      # returns array of '#/components/schemas/repository'
      operationRef: '#paths~12.0~1repositories~1{$response.body#/username}'

What does "#paths~12.0~1repositories~1" mean? Is "~12.0~1repositories~1" a directory? And shouldn't the operation have an HTTP verb attached to it?

Thanks!