By Emran | 2024-08-23

Fears of an escalation of regional tensions are mounting after the Iranian regime has vowed to respond to two killings last month blamed on Israel.

An Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs July 30 killed top Hizbullah commander Fuad Shukr a day before an attack in Tehran blamed on Israel killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

While the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran was particularly embarrassing for the Iranian regime and prompted criticism of its security and intelligence apparatus, the Iranian people fear being dragged into a wider war.

"We do not want to be victims of others' wars," said Javad, 38, a resident of Isfahan who asked to withhold his last name. "The dispute is between the Iranian government, Hamas and Hizbullah with Israel -- not the Iranian nation."

"The Islamic Republic has no right to drag Iran into a dangerous war. This war, instead of harming the Islamic Republic, will harm the Iranian people more," Javad said.

Iraj, 35, another resident of Isfahan, said that if Iran attacks Israel, there will be a reciprocal response that he fears will plunge his country into a devastating war for which the Iranian people will pay the price.

"The Iranian nation is a peace-loving people," he said. "It is the Islamic Republic that, by supporting its proxy groups, has made many countries enemies of Iran."

Draining the Iranian economy

"Due to the [regime's] destructive policies ... and sending people's money to proxy groups in the region, the tables of the Iranian people are becoming emptier and their stomachs hungrier day after day," Iraj said.

"Our government is leading the country towards destruction, and the main victims of this war will be the people of Iran," he warned.

For years, the Iranian regime avoided direct confrontation with Israel, instead waging war through its proxy groups. However, after Haniyeh's death in Tehran and the humiliation of Iran's security apparatus, the regime is considering ways to save face, said Kamran Shaheen, an Iranian international affairs analyst based in Austria.

"An Iranian attack on Israel will be met with a severe reaction from Israel and its allies. There is a serious concern that the war could spill over into Iranian territory, which would be disastrous for the Iranian people," he said.

The Islamic Republic has invested "billions of dollars" over the years in its proxy groups in the region, including Hizbullah, the Houthis, Hamas and militia groups in Iraq, "but these groups have ultimately failed," he said.

"Proxy groups can no longer fulfill the demands of the Iranian regime," Shaheen said, adding, "Iran's proxy groups are the main cause of unrest and tension in the Middle East."