Oil prices jumped after Iran fired missiles at Israel, casting fresh doubt on the future of a fragile cease-fire in the Middle East.
The strikes came after Israel attacked the outskirts of Beirut, targeting Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group. The Israeli military said that Iran had launched at least three barrages of missiles at Israel in the first such attack since a cease-fire paused the war with Iran two months ago.
Stocks in Asia fell sharply as investors retreated from artificial intelligence-related shares that had fueled blistering gains in recent months. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index, the world’s best-performing major stock market this year, fell 8 percent before trading was temporarily halted.
