TEHRAN - Panic is spreading like wildfire in Israel amid a growing sense of unease over an imminent retaliatory attack by Iran and regional resistance groups.

Since Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in an Israeli strike in Iran on Wednesday, the Islamic Republic has vowed to retaliate and avenge his blood. 

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has vowed "harsh punishment" against Israel for the assassination of the Hamas political chief. 

Iranian military officials have adopted a similar stance. 

The Axis of Resistance, which includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Ansarullah, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq as well as resistance movements in Gaza have also vowed revenge. 

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Thursday that a response is “inevitable”, referring to the assassination of Haniyeh and Fuad Shukr.

The latter was a senior commander of Hezbollah who was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut on July 30. 

The threat of retaliation has indeed kept Israel on edge, as it has been unable to predict the exact timing or method of the counterattack. 

Video footage from news sources highlights the desperation and fears of the public in Tel Aviv and other cities in Israel.

People in Israel have touched upon their sense of anxiety amid the possibility of a strong military response to the regime in retaliation for its assassination campaigns. 

Numerous airlines have canceled their flights to Israel since the assassination of Haniyeh who had traveled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.  

Air India announced on Friday that it was canceling all flights to and from Israel until August 8. Polish airline Lot has followed suit. 

A fear of reprisal attacks by Iran and the regional resistance groups has also kept the US and its Western allies on their toes. 

Reports suggest that the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt is in the regional waters amid fears of retaliation for Haniyeh’s assassination. 

Once bitten twice shy

Tel Aviv and Washington are still reeling from the fallout of an Iranian attack against Israel nearly four months ago.  

On April 13, Iran launched a salvo of more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel. The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) dubbed the operation “True Promise”. 

It came after several Iranian military advisors including a top commander were assassinated after an Israeli strike demolished Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1st. 

The Iranian large salvo transformed geopolitics in West Asia. 

Citing multiple American officials, the New York Times said at that time that the Israelis had badly miscalculated, thinking that Iran would not react strongly.

Former Israeli air defense commander Brigadier General Zvika Haimovich also acknowledged in April that Iran is a “superpower in tactical ballistic missiles and UAVs.”

Former veteran American diplomat Chas Freeman also said Iran carefully hit Israeli military targets during its drone and missile attacks in April. 

“Iran succeeded in panicking the Israeli population….it can overwhelm Israel’s defenses if it chooses to do so and Israel cannot defend itself without the active participation of the United States, the UK, France and in this case Jordan,” Freeman, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia (1989–92), said at that time. 

The US, Britain, France and Jordan came to Israel’s aid after Iran carried out Operation True Promise which shook the regime to the core. 

The Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel also shed light on the fact that the rules of engagement in West Asia have completely changed. 

Operation True Promise proved that Israel, which has been perceived as an absolute military and intelligence power, is like a house of cards that can collapse in the blink of an eye.  

For now, a new version of True Promise and coordinated attacks by regional resistance groups can teach Israel a painful lesson and remind the regime that it will have to pay a heavy price for crossing red lines and continuing its assassination plots.